Drastic Measures
by Lovely Lady Valentine
Summary: When the Eclipso Kingdom’s princess is mysteriously kidnapped, there’s only two people the king comes to with this dangerous, daring task: … Wario and Waluigi? Please give the idea a shot! R&R is always loved! Ch. 7 is acctually ON TIME!
1. Chapter 1: And so, the journey begins

**Author's Note: **YAAAY! I'm finally getting my very first Mario-themed fanfic up! grins I hope you all like it – please, PLEASE review! I'd love to see what people think of a 'rescue-the-princess' fanfic starring Wario and Waluigi. At any rate, one more thing before I start the story off …

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT in any way, shape, or form own Wario, Waluigi or anything else belonging to the creators of the Mario franchise and its characters. I DO, however, own the plot, Eclipso Kingdom, Princess Darci and a few of the other characters in this fic.

Now then … ENJOY!

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**Chapter One: And so, the journey begins …**

_Dear Mr. Wario (and his brother),_

_I, King Rexington of Eclipso Kingdom, send this letter to you in hopes of receiving your help in an urgent matter that has occurred in my kingdom._

_I realize that the Mushroom Kingdom is a long ways away from here, but I simply do not think I could find anyone else fitting to take on this distressing dilemma. You see, my daughter – Princess Darci – has been kidnapped. I haven't the slightest idea who the perpetrator is, as they seemed to have done a practically flawless job at keeping themselves hidden. Nevertheless, I expect that you, despite this fact, can save my darling daughter from the terrible being, whoever it is, who has done this foul deed. If you're willing to accept my offer, please come to my castle for a meeting to discuss the issue at hand tomorrow._

_Signed,_

_King Atticus Rexington of the Eclipso Kingdom_

Waluigi re-read the letter again, a look of utter confusion on his face. So many questions were swarming around in his mind, all of which connected to one particular one: "But why us, of all people!" He exclaimed, finally consulting his brother on the matter.

"Hell if I'd know, but the point is, we've finally got ourselves a chance to rise above both dumb and dumber!" Wario was, of course, referring to the Mario Bros. when he said this, in hopes to get his taller, lankier brother to quit complaining about it.

"Right." Waluigi sighed exasperantly, deciding it was best not to prolong the conversation.

The two were headed towards the Eclipso Kingdom in Wario's trademark purple car, having been traveling for quite awhile now. Their surroundings had gradually changed from the up-beat, bright colors of the Mushroom Kingdom to much more subdued, darker shades and tones. There was certainly a very … _mysterious_ look about the place, most of the colors in the scenery being very laid-back tones of gray-blue, whites, blacks or a stormy gray. But still, there was a very quaint appeal to the place – at least, Waluigi thought so. His thoughts were disrupted by Wario's voice, however, and he then ceased to examine the scenery.

"Hey, what'dya suppose this princess gal is like, anyhow?" The shorter, plumper brother questioned, uncomfortable with the silence.

"With our luck, nothing like I'd like to imagine her." Waluigi joked.

"There goes your pessimism again. Don't you think you could be less gloomy for a change? Eh?"

"Err, Wario –" But he had already started his speech, and he didn't plan on stopping.

"Do you wake up in the morning and just _decide _to be a stick-in-the mud about everything that happens to you that day!"

"Wario …-"

"I'm not finished yet! There are other things to dwell on in the world BESIDES impending doom, y'know! Like money, or garlic, or money, or –"

"WARIO THERE'S A WARP PIPE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!"

Barely managing to swerve around the tall, green pipe, Wario seemed oblivious to Waluigi's rather bitter muttering.

"You could have said that a bit nicer, too." Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Waluigi pointed ahead toward the faint outline of what appeared to be a castle in the distance.

"Keep you eyes on the road, fatso, we're almost there."

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_**(Eclipso Kingdom – Castle)**_

"Are you sure about this, Goombart?" King Rexington was a thin man of average height, not afraid to show his older age and thusly leaving his gray, thinning hair the way it was. He had earned a respectable reputation through the years, and paced nervously in front of his throne, his mind full of worry.

"There's no need to worry so much, sire. I mean, sure, they aren't the Mario Bros., but I'm sure they can get the job done all the same." Goombart looked like all other goombas, save for the monocle and bow tie. He was the King's favored servant and advisor, and so far, he hadn't failed his master even once.

"I'm still nervous about it. After all, though they're not quite _villains_, they are known to be involved in their fair share of … tricks, shall we say?"

"Yes, this _is_ true, sire, but I still believe that with the proper motivation, they _will_ help us and _will_ bring back your lovely daughter safe and sound." Goombart reassured him. King Rexington stopped his pacing to look up at a portrait that was placed on one of the walls, a portrait of a beautiful woman in a white dress with black trim, the style incredibly similar to the dresses of Princess Peach and Daisy. She had a rather petite frame, and determined, sparkling emerald eyes. Her hair was long and flowing, a deep, mysterious black in color, such as that of a raven's feather. And just as Daisy had a turquoise crystal in the shape of a daisy on her dress, the woman in the portrait had a glittering, half-moon shaped ruby on hers.

"I know you're worried, sire, but it won't do you much good to dwell on her disappearance." Goombart's statement brought the King back to earth, tearing his gaze away from the portrait of his daughter.

"Yes, yes, I know." He replied, sighing heavily. "It's just so hard not to think about her when I'm so worried."

It was at that exact moment that the door to the throne room flew open, and in came another goomba – this one just a regular servant.

"King Rexington, sire, the help you sent for has arrived!"

"Send them in." He responded, and no sooner had the words escaped his mouth than the two brothers entered.

"You rang?"

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Yaaaay! Chapter one is up! Ok, I know it's off to a slow start, and that this wasn't the longest chapter in the world, but I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far. Also, I hope I'm getting Wario and Waluigi in character – I know that it's annoying when people write characters completely differently than they really are. At any rate, it may be awhile 'til I can get Chapter 2 up since I'm going on a trip to Boston (school trip) for 4 days starting Monday, but I'll try my hardest to get it up ASAP!


	2. 2: Ghouls, Goombas and Mice Oh My!

**Author's Note: **A big thank you to my first reviewer (You know who you are)! I've made sure to take your advice and added a bit more spunk and flavor to this chapter. Also, sorry for the long wait! But I've finally finished it, right?

Also, some of you will recognize the opponent in this chapter's boss battle. –Gestures towards the title- There's a hint, see if you can guess it!

**Chapter Two: Ghouls, Goombas and Mice – Oh My!**

_**(Somewhere far, far away … )**_

"Awake, m'dears, for the morning has come." Something about the deep, hallowed voice of her captor cast a wave of dread over Princess Darci. It was as if she'd woken from a spell of nightmares only to be cast into yet another horrible scenario, except this one was one she couldn't escape. Oh, how she longed to be back in her own kingdom, however ghostly and drab some may have called it! She missed the whispering windy weather, and the towering gray trees with lush blackened leaves – she even missed her father's constant nagging about how she needed to act more like a princess!

Before she could continue to dwell on the negative factors of being away from home, she heard two other females give quiet yawns as they awoke. A bit startled, she glanced at the source to see something she certainly had _not_ expected: Princess Peach and Princess Daisy, both of which currently looking around in a state of confusion.

"Who are you! Show yourself!" The brunette exclaimed, seemingly searching for the voice's source.

"I-is that Bowser?" Peach uttered quietly, her voice soft and innocent. She quickly received her answer – a cackle, prideful and arrogant, as if she had just suggested the most preposterous thing in the world.

"I'm far more intelligent than that bumbling idiot." The voice replied. "But I'm afraid I'd rather keep my identity a secret for now, hm? It will give you three darlings a little something to think about in the time that you'll be spending here. And by the way," There was something about the way he said those last four words that made Darci assume he was sneering, an underlying tone of pleased irony. "I'm terribly sorry that your living quarters aren't … _quite_ up to your standards, but I'm afraid that they'll have to make due for now. Be good while I'm away, lovelies. Ta ta!" And there was a bang and a cloud of smoke that unfurled from a shadowy corner of the cell, then he was gone (Or so they assumed).

"What a jerk!" Daisy snapped, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. Glancing around the dungeon, she quickly grew bored with the stereotypical scenery. Just a drab, dreary, dank cell, the only furniture in it being a sink, a cracked mirror and what appeared to be an old mattress, lumpy and unappealing.

"I'm sure that Mario and Luigi will come and save us. We just have to be patient." Peach reasoned, still sitting daintily on the cold stone floor.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. I'll bet that they're already on their way!" There was a dramatic change in Daisy's state of emotion, as her mood seemed to lighten and her face grew bright with a sense of hope. It was then that she finally noticed Darci, sitting in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest. Feeling herself being watched, the black-haired princess turned her head toward the other two, who now examined their prison mate with intrigue. Silence followed for a moment, until Peach finally spoke up.

"I don't think I've ever met you before, I'm Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom. Who might you be?" The blonde's tone was very pleasant and friendly, something Darci appreciated.

"Call me Darci. My father's the king of the Eclipso Kingdom. And I know both of you two – Peach and Daisy." She let out a small chuckle. "Don't look so surprised – even a small kingdom like Eclipso has heard of the famous Mario Brothers and their dear damsels." The looks of slight surprise faded from their faces, blushing slightly.

"Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, even if it was in the middle of some stupid dungeon." Daisy joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "But that doesn't matter, right? I'm sure we'll _all_ be out of here soon enough. After all, this guy seems to be all bark, no bite."

Giving a nod of agreement, Darci let slip the faint trace of a smile. And with a surge of hope, she began to consider the possibility of this whole situation turning out just fine in the end.

_**(Eclipso Kingdom – Castle)**_

"So, you're telling us that all we've gotta do is save this dame, and we get an 'immeasurable amount of riches' or whatever?" Wario grinned as he clarified this, a grin that Waluigi recognized all too well, causing him to roll his eyes out of exasperation.

King Rexington gave a slight scowl at his phrasing, but quickly let it subside. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you, but I'd prefer it if you didn't refer to my daughter as a … 'dame'." He gave a very slight shudder of discomfort as the word came from his mouth. Gesturing toward the portrait of his daughter, the King continued to explain the situation in fuller detail. "That was completed just a few days ago, and, as luck would have it, just before she was kidnapped. Immediately after I received word from the night watch, Goombart here informed me of you two and that you might be willing to save my daughter, and mark my word – I didn't even hesitate to write to you about the situation. Please accept my offer, sirs, I don't know who else I could go to with the situation!" The King's dramatic plead was followed by a stifled snicker from Waluigi.

"Believe me, we're flattered – really, we are – but sucking up ain't gonna cut it. Why didn't you come to the Mario Brothers with this case, eh?" An uncomfortable silence followed, as the King struggled to come up with an excuse. However, in the end, he was forced to merely spit out the truth.

"Fine, if you insist on knowing … " He heaved a heavy sigh. " … the Mario Brothers were currently away on a mission of their own. Oddly enough, both Princess Peach and Daisy had been kidnapped but a day before." The two brothers exchanged glances and shrugged, conveying to each other that they were content with this reason.

"Works for me." Wario said. "We'll take the job then."

"… You will?" It took a moment for the King to respond, due to a slight shock at this sudden decision.

"Yep, we'll take it." The stouter of the two confirmed. A smile spread across the King's face, as hope and excitement seemed to surge through the elderly man.

"Wonderful! Simply marvelous! You there, Goombit." He then motioned toward one of the nearby goomba servant boys, who hastened toward their King. "Bring these two our _finest,_ most _appropriate_ weapons from the artillery."

"Yes sir, your highness!" And with that, the little goomba bustled through the doors of the throne room and into the halls of the castled at top speed. Once he had sped out the doors and on his way, both Wario and Waluigi turned their intrigued glances toward the King.

"Weapons?" They questioned simultaneously. The King chuckled, nodding.

"Don't look so surprised! Every fine hero needs a weapon with which to battle against the forces of evil, eh?" This comment seemed to merely make the two even more impressed. No one had ever called them _heroes_ before. "Now then, there's no need to worry. Goombart has already informed me of your areas of strength and weakness, and was able to find two weapons that should use those to your advantage."

Waluigi decided it was best not to question how on earth Goombart knew so much about seemingly everything, and instead asked, "What sort of 'weapons' are these, exactly?" Being the brains instead of the brawn of the duo, the purple-clad trickster wasn't too keen on making a fool out of himself by not being able to use this weapon – whatever it was – to its full potential. Sure, he could jump incredibly high and run at great speeds, but when it came to heavy lifting … well, let's just say he wasn't your man.

Before the King could answer this, however, Goombit had reentered the room carrying a green box of a moderate size with white on the edge, as well as a white exclamation mark on the front. Wario couldn't help but smirk at seeing this being brought out – he recognized it right off the bat from when his much more heroic counterpart had used it.

With him was a second goomba servant, who was struggling to carry what appeared to be a fairly tall, dark purple hammer. It was similar to the one which Luigi sometimes carried, all in all, but had a much more intimidating appearance, more because of the darker color scheme than anything else. Waluigi felt a wave of joy sweep over himself as this particular item was brought into the throne room – oh, how he'd always wanted to take hold of one of those and give it a good swing 'in Luigi's general direction'.

The two goombas laid these items in front of the King, immediately afterward bowing and shuffling off, before either of the brothers could question them as to how they had managed to even _hold_ the items without hands.

Picking up the green box first, the King reached inside of it and took out what appeared to be a hat with the same style and structure as Wario's, except that this one was made out of metal. "This is a Metal Cap." He explained, extending it toward the yellow-clad duel master, who eagerly snatched it up. "All you have to do is replace your normal hat with this one, and you'll instantly be coated in metal, therefore not only increasing your strength and defense, but making you resistant against fire and lightning, as well as taking away the need to breath underwater. And when the fight's over, all you need to do is take it off in order to return to normal. The only negative side effect is that it will decrease the height of your jumps."

Grinning like a mad man (which wasn't much different than normal), Wario admired the hat with a chuckle. "This should be useful!" He exclaimed, as his mind began to fill to the brim with the instances and scenarios it would come in handy, as well as several other … daydreams, so to speak.

Next, the King picked up the hammer, turning to face the other brother. "And _this_," He began with a smirk, "is a very unique hammer, indeed. I think you'll find it's much lighter than it looks, but that doesn't mean it isn't strong. It actually reacts to your current state and intensity of emotion. Depending on how you're feeling while you're using it, and what you're using it for, it reacts differently. Of course, there's also the fact that it made of a very sturdy, durable material, enabling it to endure almost anything." Handing it to Waluigi, who immediately took it in his own grasp, the King added, "It's also made for fairly long range, if the need arises." Indeed, the handle was moderately long.

Surprised at how comfortably he could maneuver it, Waluigi felt a blast of confidence flow throughout himself. "What a hammer!" He exclaimed, swinging it a few times through the air. But as this overpowering confidence settled in, the hammerhead suddenly began to spark, as electricity began to flow across the surface of the hammerhead and through it. "Wha-!" A bit a startled at the sudden change, he grinned wider yet once he realized what had happened. Finally, he set the hammerhead gently on the ground, placing his right hand on the top of the handle and turning his attention to the King once again.

"I can't thank you enough fo-" But before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud explosion from outside the castle, followed by the classic sounds of mayhem. As if on cue, Goombit rushed back into the room in a state of panic.

"YOUR HIGHNEEEEEEEESSSSS!" The young goomba yelled as he ran at full speed into the throne room, stumbling over himself to come to a stop.

"What is it, Goombit?" There was a controlled sense of worry in the King's voice as he turned his attention to the young goomba.

"S-something's a-a-attacking the village!"

Wario and Waluigi looked at each other and gave a firm nod. It was finally happening, it was really their turn to be the heroes! Grinning from ear to ear, both brothers exclaimed,

"IIIIIIT'S GO TIME!"

_**(Eclipso Kingdom – Village)**_

The source of the big boom that they had heard while in the castle was obvious the moment Wario and Waluigi came toward the village: bob-bombs. All sorts of villagers ran for cover as a bob-bomb flew toward them, bouncing off a nearby tree and exploding in midair. At the top of the large hill just behind the village was a silhouetted figure, too far away to make out.

"Looks like we've got a demolition nut on our hands." Wario muttered, pulling off his normal cap and stuffing it in his pocket, replacing it with the new, sleek metal one. Just as the King had described, a thick coat of metal spread over him, and he suddenly felt a rush of invulnerability – and of power – as he let loose a wild cackle. "Oh yeah! Now we're talkin'!"

Muttering under his breath, Waluigi rolled his eyes, leaning on his hammer. "Are you done yet?" He snarled cynically, standing upright and gripping the weapon, before swinging it over his shoulder and breaking into a run toward town, Wario quickly following.

They soon found that making it to the top of the hill while dodging flying bob-bombs and screaming, panicking villagers was easier said than done.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIIIE!" One of the villagers yelled as they flailed by.

"You know," Waluigi growled through gritted teeth as the two brothers ran toward the hill, "I'm starting to get really tempted to smack one of these twittering nit-wits upside the head with this hammer!"

"Save it for our little pyromaniac friend up there." Wario replied, barely dodging another flying bob-bomb.

Finally, they made it to the bottom of the hill, where they were stopped by what appeared to be a pale green boo. He seemed to be wearing a black leather cape, giving him a rather villainous appearance.

"You, there!" He called out, floating toward the two. "The fat man and the skeletal man!" Though squeezing there way through the crowds of over-reacting villagers had certainly worked their nerves, Waluigi and Wario decided to let this one slide for the oddly tinted boo.

Approaching him, Wario was the first to speak out, however untactful he may have been about it. "Whatd'ya want, ya bozo?" He snarled, causing his younger brother to silently fume out of frustration.

"Bozo?" The boo gave a sort of amused cackle, cold and eerie. Waluigi couldn't help but snicker at the thought of what sort of effect the sound would have had on that scaredy-cat rival of his. "I think you're gravely mistaken. No pun intended." Even though the boo said this, Wario could have sworn he saw the orb-like creature give a small chuckle of laughter. "Eh-um, anyhow … I actually came here to meet you two before you made it to the top of the hill. I heard that the king had put two … strangers on the task of saving his dearly beloved daughter, and I was just wondering if … well –"

"Oh, great!" Wario moaned. "This guy wants to join us in our 'quest', or whatever." Turning to his brother as if for support on the matter, Wario was instead given a shrug of consideration from Waluigi.

"Actually, that would technically be a good thing – that is, of course, with one minor detail." The poltergeist's features twisted into an expression of nervousness, as Waluigi gave a slightly twisted smirk. "The boo can help us – _if_, and _only_ if he agrees not to keep any share of the treasure we find as we go along." Wario gave a quick nod of agreement.

The boo stared blankly at Waluigi for a moment, blinking a few times, before his expression changed to one of the utmost relief. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine! I'm just tagging along for the honor of saving my kingdom's princess, and getting in a little adventure while I'm at it!" There was a strong flow of excitement in the vapor's voice, clarifying the validity of his claim. Sticking out a stubby little hand, he introduced himself. "My name is Boocifer, and it's a downright pleasure to be acquainted with you two. Let's see … well, I must admit that you're not at all how I'd pictured the great Mario Brothers, but –"

**"WHAAAAT?"** Boocifer stumbled back a few feet at the two brother's unexpected outburst. Frantically, he looked back and forth between the two, trying to pinpoint what he'd said that had upset them so much. But before he could guess, Wario set it straight for the little guy.

"Whoa whoa, hold up! We're not the Mario Brothers, you dolt! We're they're _rivals_, and darn proud of it!"

"Oh … oh …" Boocifer suddenly went from unmistakably sullen to bright and cheery. "Oh well, close enough! My mistake! Either way, it's still a pleasure to meet you two. Wario and Waluigi, was it? Good, good. Well, now that we've got that straightened out, we're still on friendly terms, ri – HEY! HEY HEY HEY! LET GO OF MEEEEE!"

"Then SHUT YOUR YAP!" Having picked up their newly gained ally by the scruff of his cape, Waluigi was now dragging Boocifer up the hill with him as they ascended to the top of the hill, in hopes of shutting up the specter.

**_(Eclipso Kingdom – Crescent Hill)_**

The ascent of the hill was fairly uneventful, save for the little friendly outbursts here and there from Boocifer, which were quickly stifled by his cape being shoved into his mouth by either Waluigi or Wario (whoever happened to be closest at the time). It was only once they had reached the top of the hill that the trouble began.

"Ka-BOOOOM! Heh heh, this must be my lucky day – look at those little wimps all a-runnin' for cover!" The source of the destructive disaster was much less intimidating than any of the three had expected. In fact, the rodent standing in front of them was less of a scare than the ever-talkative Boocifer, who had finally shut his trap at the sight of the bomb-wielding mammal.

"It's … a mouse." Wario stated flatly, as the said-mouse gave a slight jump of surprise as he finally noticed them.

"An oversized mouse, yes, but still, a mouse." Waluigi confirmed, staring blankly at the creature in front of him.

The source of all the mayhem was not just an oversized mouse, but he was about the height of an average human being, maybe a bit shorter, standing on two feet and wearing what appeared to be a pair of sunglasses. Sitting next to him on the flat, gray-green grass of the hilltop was an almost empty sack of what had to be bob-bombs, which he quickly abandoned in order to approach the strangers who stood gaping at him.

"Huh? You ain't the Mario Brothers!" The rodent accused, pointing a gloved finger at them. "B-but the Boss SAID you'd be the Mario Brothers!"

Groaning out of exasperation, Waluigi lowered his hammer in preparation to fight. "Ooh, watch out you two, it looks like we've got a genius on our hands." His tone was practically soaked in sarcasm.

"Let's skin this rat!" Wario snarled, striking an intimidating pose (although almost any pose is when you're coated in metal).

"Nobody can defeat the great and all-powerful Mouser, especially not some wacked-out punks!" The enraged rodent raved, reaching into his sack and withdrawing a small cube-like item, before tossing it to the ground with great force. "Let's see how you fare in my specialty arena, huh?"

Boocifer watched as smoke swam across the area where Waluigi, Wario and Mouser stood, and before he knew it, the three had sank into the thick cloud of blueish-green smoke, which then retreated back into the middle of the cube.

"Oh boy, this can't be good."

_**(Mouser's Arena)**_

"Welcome to my lovely arena, boys! What'dya think? She's a beauty, ain't she?" Mouser gave a cackle from the top of the highest point of the coliseum-like arena – a spinning platform in the center of the bowl-shaped stadium, his sack of bombs sitting beside him. However, what was the really worrisome part of the whole design was the fact that the pyromaniac of a mouse himself was stationed at the controls of a Bullet-Bill launcher.

Gazing up at their opponent from the bottom of the pit, Wario and Waluigi both mouthed the exact same words in unison.

"Oh crud."

Apparently anticipating the chance to blow the two to bits, Mouser threw a bob-bomb their way with a yell of, "THINK FAST!"

**BATTLE TIME!**

**Mouser's HP: 3**

The two brothers were forced to split up the moment the battle started, heading in separate directions in order to evade the bob-bomb's blast.

Mouser had free-reign of the battle for the first while, not yet resorting to the use of the Bullet Bill launcher (much to his opponents' relief), but instead barraging the two with bob-bomb after bob-bomb. Wario had attempted to strike the mouse once or twice by sending his bombs right back at him, but it was in vain, as they exploded in midair shortly before reaching him.

Meanwhile, Waluigi had taken advantage of his extreme agility, as he dodged the blasts by a series of rather entertaining (not to mention acrobatic) movements and jumps.

It wasn't until the rat decided it was time to take a brake to gloat that his opponents had a chance to strategize, meeting each other at the center of the pit.

"Well, we can't re-use his own ammo. I found that out the hard way." Wario muttered to his younger brother, who scowled slightly.

"Then how the heck are we supposed to get rid of this disease-ridden mongrel?" Waluigi snapped, having become quite annoyed with the taunting, choppy laughter that echoed from the platform above them.

"Cool it, toothpick-boy, I'm not the one tossing bombs at you!" This time, Wario's voice was much more heated. But somehow, Waluigi managed to top it with a very sharp snarl.

"Don't tell me to 'cool it', fatso!"

"Toothpick-boy!"

"Fatso!"

"TOOTHPICK-BOY!"

"GAAAAH!" Not only had Waluigi's rage met an unthinkably dangerous level, but because of it, the hammer, which he was now pulling back in preparation for a mighty swing, was beginning to spark, and then sizzle, before a veil of scorching hot blue embers shrouded the hammerhead.

"W-wait a minute, buddy! Remember, Mouser's the enemy here, not me-EEEEEE!"

WA-POW!

Wario's voice had trailed into a yell of panic, as he was sent hurling up the side of the stadium, and in a curling arch due to the velocity of Waluigi's swing, bonked Mouser square on the head. **HIT!**

Stumbling around a bit on his platform for a moment, Mouser groaned, before shuddering off the aftermath of the hit. Angrily, he searched for the cause, only to see Wario hopping down off the platform, performing a ground-pound to the ground to break his fall.

"OUCH! You punks! You'll pay for that!" The oversized rodent snapped, pointing a finger at the spot where the two now stood below him.

"Hey, that … that actually worked!" Waluigi marveled, grinning from ear to ear at the success that had come from his fit of rage. Wario, on the other hand, scowled slightly, rubbing the spot on his back where Waluigi had hit him.

"You wanna try being the pinball next time, huh?" He muttered bitterly, but before he could receive an answer, they were blown back by the impact of a Bullet Bill that had hit the spot right in the middle of where the two stood.

"Nya-nya!" Mouser snickered, letting loose another two Bullet Bills.

It seemed that it was going to be much harder to hit their opponent now that he had pulled out his ace card. And so, in the time that followed, the two scampered around in an attempt to out run the

Bullet Bills, occasionally causing them to crash into each other.

"WATCH OUT! BEHIND YOU!" Wario cried out urgently as a Bullet Bill streamed toward his younger brother, who had just outrun the last torpedo-like enemy.

"Huh?" Slowly turning his head around to see what on earth his brother was talking about, he was just quick enough to see the tip of the Bullet Bill hit him in the middle of the back – somehow bucking him up onto its back, more than likely on accident. "WAH!"

In a stroke of genius, A thought occurred to Wario as to how to defeat their opponent. Jumping onto the back of an incoming Bullet Bill, he then sprung from it onto the nearby platform … Mouser's platform. It was anybody's guess that this was not quite what Mouser had expected.

"HEY BUCKO! GET OFF'A' MY PLATFORM!" As if Wario had actually taken these words to heart, he leapt off of the platform and onto the ground. However, it was only now that Mouser noticed the incoming Bullet Bill, which Waluigi quickly leapt off of in order to avoid being harmed by the collision.

KA-BOOM! **HIT!**

"Urrrgh …" The demolition-obsessed rodent murmured, stumbling back and off the platform, to the floor of the arena.

Snickering, Wario and Waluigi gave each other a glance, with a gleam of mischief in their eyes.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Waluigi whispered to his older brother.

"You better believe I am!" Without a moment to spare, both of them leapt at the chance to attack the rodent the good-ol' fashioned way; beating him to a pulp.

"OUCH! ... HEY HEY HEY, THAT'S MY TAIIIILLLL! NOOOOO! Urrrgh …" **HIT! x10**

Grinning over the rumpled pile of bruises that was now mouser, they let out a hearty laugh.

"And THAT'S how you skin a rat!"

_**(Eclipso Kingdom – Hilltop)**_

Boocifer leapt back with a yelp as Waluigi, Wario and a disgruntled, banged-up Mouser reappeared on the hilltop with a loud bang.

"Y-you … YOU DID IT!" Boocifer yelled out with joy, surprising his companions. Proceeding to float around in happy little circles, he chanted, "You did it, you did it, you kicked mouser's butt! You did it – OWWWEEEEE!" Receiving a smack across the face from both of them (there's really not much else to smack on a boo), the oddly tinted boo was greeted much less happily than he greeted them.

"Don't EVER, and I mean _EVER_, do that again!" Waluigi snarled, slightly disturbed at this energetic little outburst.

"Weirdo." Wario mumbled under his breath at the little vapor's show of excitement, although he now looked slightly ashamed of himself. The yellow-clad duel master turned to face Mouser again, who was just at the edge of the hilltop before he was grabbed by the tail and pulled back. "Where do you think YOU'RE goin'!" Wario growled.

"To report back to the boss-man, so if you'll excuuuse me …" Reaching into the sack, which had been left unwittingly within his reach, he pulled out a bob-bomb, which he then proceeded to light and toss in Wario's direction, causing him to yelp and let go of the mouse. Running off toward the edge of the green, Mouser only turned back to give an annoying little grin, as well as a taunting yell of, "I've got the Ruby Tulip, so I'm afraid I'll have to leave you boys for now! Ta ta for now!" And with that, hopped off the top of the hill and cackled gleefully as he made a break for it.

_**(Somewhere far, far away …)**_

Though there was no way to tell what time of day it was without any windows whatsoever, there was still a feeling of night about the cell. Maybe it was merely that Darci had began to feel drowsy, or the fact that it felt like hours upon hours had slowly crept by, but either way, day one of being a damsel in distress was finally nearing its end.

All in all, it was rather uneventful: She chatted a bit with Daisy and Peach, sat in a corner of the cell and thought about various things for awhile, and then continued to chat some more. Really, it was quite boring – who knew?

The other two princesses where actually ten times as amiable as Darci would have thought. They shared their dreams, ambitions, what life was like for them … it was actually interesting to hear about how they felt as a princess.

But of all the things they talked about, it amazed Darci to no end to hear the blonde and the brunette go on and on about Mario and Luigi.

"He's the perfect guy, really." Peach said, her voice growing slightly distant and day-dreamy. "He's kind, sweet, caring, loyal – everything I'd ever dreamed of!"

"Yeah, same with Luigi." Daisy agreed. "He cares about me as a person, and wouldn't let anything hurt me – even if he can be a little nervous at times, he's still a great guy!"

Darci couldn't help but snicker as the two girls stared off into nothingness, thinking of their boyfriends. However, Daisy quickly picked up on this.

"Well, what's your boyfriend like, then?" She asked curiously.

Darci was silent for a moment. "I don't have one." She admitted finally. "But I know what I'd like in a guy. He doesn't necessarily have to be the _best_ looking guy in the bunch – and I don't want him to be heroic all the time." Now it was her turn to look off into the abyss, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "He has to be able to crack a joke or two – and have a sense of sarcasm. If he doesn't have that, then we surely won't be able to make it together." Chuckling, she continued. "And you know what else? I'm happy as long as he cares about me – and likes me for who I am as a _person_, instead of who I am as a _princess_."

Daisy and Peach merely looked curiously at the girl for a few moments, as if she would add something to this description. But nothing more came, and so, they instead began to once again dream of how Mario and Luigi would save the day this time.

**Author's Note:** Well, I hope you enjoyed Chapter Two! I sure enjoyed writing it – heh, yep, and by the way, the first boss battle opponent was Mouser from Super Mario Land 2!

I hope I didn't make it to obvious who Darci's describing – but just in case I did, feel free to guess! I want to see who you're thinking of. Well, until I get the next chapter up! Ta ta!


	3. Illusions In The Shadows

**Author's Note:** I can't tell you just how much the awesome reviews that I've gotten on this have really motivated me – Thank you so much for your support, ALL of you who gave me feedback!

So, I hate to bore you anymore, but before this chapter begins: Yes, you all guessed correctly as to whom Darci is talking about (That's really not much of a spoiler; it was kind of obvious). And BECAUSE of this, please excuse my enthusiasm to begin to plant the seeds of attraction in this chapter. Also, if you've played Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, than you'll _certainly_ recognize the main boss battle opponents in this chapter. As for the Mini-boss, people who've played Yoshi's Island should be able to recognize him.

And so, without further ado …

-------------------------

**Chapter 3: Illusion Among the Shadows**

_**(Somewhere far, far away … )**_

Darci awoke with a start, as a pang of extreme fear jolted down her spine.

Nightmares had never really scared Princess Darci. In fact, she found them all quite intriguing, enjoying the task of analyzing them and taking them apart bit by bit to deduce a meaning of some kind. But this one was different. This one was heartbreaking, as if she had lost a part of herself, her entire being. The fear she experienced during this particular nightmare was like nothing she could have ever imagined, and felt as if she would never be able to rid her mind of it.

"Morning has dawned upon us once again, my lovelies." Everything faded back into perspective as _he,_ whoever _'he'_ was, once again relieved them of their dreamy state with his cold, hollowed voice. But there was something troubled in his tone this time, however small it may have been; as if there had been some possible asset in his scheme.

"You again?" Groaned the familiar voice of Daisy, who had apparently just woken up. Peach was much more quiet about announcing her regained consciousness, giving a small, petite yawn.

"Don't look so sad; I have news of your … rescuers." With this, a small cloud of fog drifted from the same shadowy corner of the room, too dark to make out the figure standing in it. Forming a large, screen-like rectangle in front of them, an image appeared on it, causing Daisy and Peach's faces to light up with joy.

Mario and Luigi were seen venturing down a bright, well-lit, sun-shiny path; defeating anything that got in their way with a quick, swift jump or two. Darci (she wasn't paying much attention to the screen at this point) seemed to be the only one of the three females who noticed a cold, faint chuckle come from the shadowy corner of the room.

"They're really not much of a force to be reckoned with, as of yet. I honestly expected more from the oh-so-powerful-and-great _Mario Brothers_." The image faded, though the smoke remained, and the two princesses who had been staring avidly at it now swirled around to face the spot where they could only guess that their captor stood.

"What on earth do you mean?" Peach questioned, a tad puzzled – and surprised – upon hearing this.

"It's simple, my fair lady." The villain began, an amused tone playing about his voice. "The report that Mouser" - Peach had let out a small gasp here, mostly at the recognition of the name - "had brought back to me revealed two other … _heroes_, so to speak." Then came that bone-chilling chuckle again, before he continued his explanation. "I must admit, I was quite surprised when I'd gotten word, but, much to my dismay, they had made a fool of the oversized, plague-infested mongrel, even if he _had_ managed to escape with what he'd come for." And before any of them could question his vague explanation, another image faded into view on the makeshift screen of smoke, this one bearing the image of none other than Wario and Waluigi (their was also an oddly tinted boo in the background), currently trudging through what seemed to be a rather eerie forest. As they went along, they seemed to be arguing rather animatedly, every now and then whacking (or, in Wario's case, punching) a minor enemy out of the way.

Waluigi caught Darci's eye particularly. There was a quaint sort of charm about him; something Darci noticed right off the bat. It wasn't that he was blessed with amazingly charming looks; in fact, he wasn't the best-looking guy she'd seen. Yet there was something in his long, gaunt face that Darci couldn't help but relate to, something in his dull, cold gray eyes that she simply adored.

"_WARIO AND WALUIGI_?" The shrill outburst that had come from both Princess Peach and Princess Daisy shook Darci from her trance, bringing her back to reality with a brutal awakening. Though she tore her gaze back to the screen immediately, the image had already faded from view.

"No need to get worked up about it, m'dears. If anything, they may just be more trouble than your annoying little plumber friends." There was a mischievous air intertwined in his voice as he spoke, something that gave Darci the feeling that he was smirking. "Which is exactly why my next move is aimed directly at them. Now, be a good girl, dear Darci, and don't try to fight me on this."

With that, a sort of hissing echoed about the room, and from the corner of the room slithered a crimson red snake, made up of ingenuously intertwined clouds of smoke. The raven-haired damsel forced herself to keep calm as it crept towards her, binding her wrists and ankles together as if it were a rope.

"… W-…what a-are you doing?" She whispered urgently, twitching slightly as the tail of the snake danced about her feet, and it let out a particularly threatening hiss. But she never did receive an answer, as just then, three figures popped up from the floor.

"Oooh, my my my, you certainly were right; she _is_ a pretty little devil, hm?" The first to speak of the drastically different new arrivals was much shorter and skinnier than the latter. She reminded Darci of a vulture, with a crooked nose and shrill voice. But there was something _very_ odd about her: Instead of feet, she had a long, tail-like strand that connected from her torso to the floor. Then there was the fact that she was entirely purple in color, greatly reminding the princess of a shadow. A bun of gray hair stuck out beneath a blue and white striped witch hat, which was pulled over her eyes, and an eerie smile was plastered on her face.

"Yeah, what a dame!" Next to the shadow-like witch was what appeared to be quite possibly the least intimidating ghost Darci had ever seen. With a red and blue party hat placed upon his head and a body that took the form of a white sheet with two bits of it sticking out at the side conveniently like arms and two feet sticking out visibly beneath the sheet, the 'thing' reminded her immensely of a poorly assembled Halloween costume meant to resemble a ghost. The creepiest thing about the creature was its glowering red eyes – though at the moment, they looked a tad ridiculous as it gaped at her.

The third was very much like the first, and yet very different. Though this one was the same deep purple shade and resembled a shadow in many ways, it was rather bigger than the first shadow-thing. And like the first, it had a big, witch-like hat covering its eyes, but instead of blue and white stripes, these were yellow and white stripes. Just below the brim of the hat protruded two tufts of straight, chunky blonde bangs, giving the creature a rather daft appearance.

"Beldam – Doopliss – Marilyn - I'm glad you finally decided to show up." The voice from the corner snapped, making the three villains twitch slightly.

"I'm so terribly sorry, Sir, but _Doopliss_ hear," Beldam croaked, as she motioned toward her companion. "Wasn't exactly cooperative about coming here."

"What?" Doopliss cried. "I just wasn't comfortable about the idea of traveling beneath the surface with you like you always do." With this, he added a bit of accompanying motions that looked rather ridiculous.

"Bah!" Marilyn exclaimed, apparently unable to communicate properly.

"My point exactly, Marilyn! He _needs_ to quit making excuses for being a wimp!" Beldam agreed, pointing an accusing finger momentarily at the sheet-like ghost.

"Silence!" The voice boomed, silencing the bickering ghouls. "Doopliss, I didn't ask you here just so you could blabber on and on uselessly."

"R-right, sir! Got it!" Without a moment to spare, Doopliss turned to face Darci, examining the girl for a long while. He appeared to be in deep contemplation, before – without warning – he raised his arms and began to shake violently. Then …

BANG!

"EEK!" Darci let out a shriek, as she gaped at what replaced the funny-looking ghost. There stood an exact replica of the princess, down to the last lock of shimmering, coal-black hair. It was almost like looking in a mirror with a mind of its own.

"Shut up!" The doppelganger demanded, his voice now matching the identity he possessed. "Yeesh, how annoying! I'm a lot less scary now than I was before, and you didn't shriek then."

"Doopliss, get in character already!" Beldam snarled, causing the ghost to let go of any silly irritations.

But it appeared that Doopliss wasn't going to be tamed so easily this time. Turning into the mirror image of Beldam with a bang, and adopting a mocking tone. "Doopliss, blah blah blah blah blaaaah!"

None of the three princesses could help but suppress a giggle at this, even more so as the witch began to fume silently. Yet this didn't last long, unable to keep herself from responding to this mockery.

"Do you want me to _force_ you into character?" The witch snarled, only to further inspire the clown-like ghost.

"Do you want me to _force_ you into character, Doopliss? Blah blah blah?" The girls laughed freely now, quite enjoying this break from the tension that had been mounting before.

"MARILYN! Silence this idiot!" Beldam snapped, pointing at the imposter in front of her. However, the rotund shadow was confused now, and attempted to signal this with a shrug.

"Buh-huh?" She grumbled, before deciding to take a swing at one of them, hoping she didn't punch the real thing.

"OWWW! Not me, you buffoon!" Beldam shrieked, as the girls behind her now began to laugh harder yet. And Doopliss, having had his fun, returned to the shape of Princess Darci, a grin set upon his face.

"Stop wasting time and get out of here, you morons!" The voice snarled, causing silence to fall on the room once again.

And without further ado, the three disappeared into the depths of the cell's cement floor.

"I'm afraid I must wish you girls goodbye for now." The voice said, as the snake, which had coiled around Darci's wrists and ankles, disappeared into thin air. "Adieu." And with a bang, the mastermind behind the entire dastardly scheme was gone, leaving Darci to dwell on all that had just occurred.

---------------------

_**(Eclipso Kingdom – Forest of Deceit)**_

Deep within the Eclipso Kingdom, we once again join our heroes on a wonderfully sunshiny, bright day. Unfortunately, the blackened leaves and gray branches of the Forest of Deceit grew so thick that the sunlight barely shown through the foliage enough to light the path and their surroundings. On most occasions, this would have made Waluigi simply overjoyed – he certainly was not one for sunny days. But because of the current circumstances, this was not the case.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I DID NOT LET HIM GET AWAY!" The purple-clad brother yelled, swinging his hammer so wildly and with such force that it almost missed the dark-shelled paratroopa he was aiming for, and even so sent it flying into the trunk of a nearby tree, where it had no doubt made a dent.

"YES YOU DID, TOOTHPICK-BOY!" Wario bellowed, throwing such a hard punch at the second of the native paratroopas that it flew backward with a great squawk, only to be silenced moments later by an overgrown piranha plant (which had adapted a black coloring with white spots so it fit into its environment) which had snapped it up as it zoomed past.

Meanwhile, behind them, Boocifer had grown quite upset with their bickering, and therefore decided it was high time that somebody, _anybody_, shut them up. "I CAN'T STAND IT ANY LONGER! WHY CAN'T YOU TWO GET ALONG LIKE OTHER, _NORMAL_ BROTHERS?" This sudden outburst from the usually harmonious boo caused them to quiet down.

However, it was only moments later that they both whirled around, and punched the poor vapor, once again, in the face, leaving him to merely whimper along behind them as they continued down the overgrown path, this time in a much more chipper mood than before.

"I certainly feel ten times better all of a sudden, how about you?" Wario stated, grinning.

"Same here, brother, same here." Waluigi replied, a smirk plastered firmly on his gaunt face.

Despite Boocifer's frequent muttering about his companions being in serious need of anger management help, the following hours that transpired were rather uneventful. As they went along their way, however, not even five minutes had passed when Wario was fed up with the silence. Picking a random topic, he glanced back at the specter floating along behind him and spoke. "Boocifer, why did you _really_ come along?"

The greenish boo remained silent for a moment, debating over how he should answer. He shifted his gaze from Wario to Waluigi nervously, before finally giving into his conscience and deciding to tell the truth. "I … erm …" He fumbled over the words, indecisive in his phrasing. "Well … y'see, I … that is to say, um …"

"Just spit it out already, Boocifer!" Waluigi prompted impatiently.

"Alright, alright! Fine! I'm coming along to impress my girlfriend, to prove to her that I'm more than a misfit." The boo looked down at the ground in slight shame. "Go ahead and laugh at me." He muttered.

The two brothers exchanged glances, staring blankly for a moment. However, they quickly looked back at the poor boo, and … laughed.

"HA! HA HA! Y-you're kidding me, r-right?" Wario gasped through his laughter.

"Y-you've got to be joking!" Waluigi exclaimed.

Boocifer merely glared at the two, feeling slightly put out. However, he perked up slightly at what the purple-clad man said next.

"This whole time you've been hiding _that_? Why didn't you just tell us before hand, you moron?" It occurred to the boo that they weren't mocking him – or, at least, they were doing it in a much more light-hearted manner.

Quite a bit of time had passed while they chattered away, and Boocifer got to know the two better (and vice versa), when they were finally forced back into reality with a rather rude awakening, in the form of a cry for help.

"HELP MEEEEE!" The voice was female, causing all three of them to come to a sudden halt and turn their gazes in the direction of its source.

"Over here! C'mon!" Wario exclaimed, racing through an overgrown bundle of bushes to the left of the path, his companions following suit. But on the other side of the bushes was what would have been a nice, serene pond … except for the fact that it was now occupied by an oversized piranha plant - so large, in fact, that its roots twisted above the surface of the pond, thorn-covered and intimidating.

And, there, on a large lily pad, sat a certain beautiful, emerald-eyed, black-haired princess, bound by lengths of ivy tied around her wrists and ankles.

"Over here!" She cried, her face shining with hope as the three came to a halt at the side of the pond. They merely gaped for a moment in awe, trying to figure out if this was really a dream or not. There, right in front of them, was the Princess!

"S-she's … gorgeous …" Waluigi muttered, staring at the damsel, his eyes beginning to glaze over. It was odd; normally, he never even considered any other woman being more appealing to him than Princess Daisy, never _really_ caring about whether or not any other female was in danger. But now, as his eyes rested on this lovely lady in front of him, a sense of concern engulfed him.

"Err … Waluigi? ...WALUIGI!" Wario slapped his brother hard on the back, bringing him back to reality.

"What are we just standing around for? We have to save her!" He exclaimed with a start, gripping his hammer and preparing to fight the great beast.

"That's the spirit!" Boocifer cackled, his two stubby arms beginning to glow with an odd reddish tinted light.

"Let's take this thing DOWN!" Wario growled, replacing his normal hat with the Metal Cap, and once again becoming coated in the sturdy stuff.

The creature raised its head high, letting out a loud, wailing roar, and fixing its head menacingly in their direction.

**-------------------------------**

**MINI-BOSS BATTLE!**

**Naval Piranha (HP: 1)**

**FIGHT!**

There was no doubt about it: The abnormally large carnivorous plant was keen on protecting the Princess to the death. Every time any of the three tried to get near it, it would snap furiously at them, its roots flailing about madly. Not only that, but the fact was, it was hard to dodge attacks when jumping from one oversized lily pad to another. The exception to this was Boocifer, who zoomed through the air with great speed, occasionally skimming the water to avoid the angry plant.

Though Wario and Waluigi could beat away the roots with their weapons, they quickly accepted that this was going to be Boocifer's battle, and his alone. As he zipped and zoomed around, they prevented the piranha plant from swiping at him with his roots as best they could.

Meanwhile, the pale green specter was trying every spell he could think of.

"Burn, already!" Boocifer groaned, launching a spout of flames at the Piranha plant, as it merely flinched, before taking a vicious snap at the poltergeist.

But try as he might, he couldn't make a dent in the angry creature, frustration mounting inside of him. "Why aren't you getting HURT?" He snapped, finally unable to contain his rage any longer. With a wave of his hands, a fierce bolt of lightning issued from his arms. However, he seemed to have missed where he had been aiming; and instead hit the creature on a large round bump on one of his flailing roots. **HIT!**

With a whimper, the towering beast began to sway back and forth, on the verge of toppling over. Quickly, Waluigi grabbed Princess Darci and followed the other two toward the safety of dry land, as the piranha plant landed with one big, loud SPLASH!

**END BATTLE!**

**--------------------**

**(_Eclipso Kingdom – Forest of Deceit_)**

"That was fantastic!" Darci exclaimed once her rescuers had un-gagged and untied her. "I can't thank you enough for saving me … I just wish there was something that I could do to repay you …"

All three of them began to blush ever so slightly. This was new to them, and to be quite honest, they really didn't mind it too much. Wario was the first to speak up, quickly regaining his voice.

"Don't worry about it, Princess – we're already getting paid for – GRRMPH!" A skinny, gloved hand was quickly placed over his mouth, however, and he instantaneously met eyes with his younger brother, who was sending him a rather sharp glare. But as soon as Waluigi's gaze met with Darci's, it became much, much softer.

"Don't listen to him – it was _our honor _to save _you_." Behind him, Boocifer quickly stifled a snicker.

"You're quite the gentleman, aren't you?" Darci said with a slight smile. "You wouldn't happen to have been sent by my father, would you?" All three of them nodded, and Boocifer spoke for them this time.

"These two were sent by the King, but I joined up with them shortly after. I'm Boocifer, and this is-"

"Wario, and my younger brother Waluigi." Wario finished, cutting off the oddly tinted boo before he could finish.

"It's a pleasure." Her voice was rather soft, delicate almost. "But I'm afraid I've got something horrible to inform you of: My captor was up to no good. The entire _world_ could be in jeopardy if he gets what he wants."

"And what would that be?" The lankiest of them asked.

"The Eight Powers." She sighed heavily, before continuing. "He's already gotten a hold of the first – the Ruby Tulip. You simply _must_ collect the last seven before he gets a chance to!" The damsel must have been laying on the charm, for all three of them agreed without hesitation, nodding firmly as they all said their answer in unison.

"Of course we will!"

"Oh, thank you _so_ very much!" She exclaimed with a charming smile. "And I know _just_ the place to start our search!"

------------

**( _Forest of Deceit – Gomer's Cabin_ )**

"That idiot Doopliss was acting much too sweet and bubbly to be the princess – I just _know_ he screwed up!"

"Grrrmph! Mmmph grrrrr-mph!"

"Marilyn, would you silence that senile old goomba already!" It had been too long. Far, far too long. The fact of the matter was, Beldam had a sneaking suspicion that the clownish-looking ghost freak had to have ruined their entire plan by now. After all, it couldn't be _her_ fault if anything were to go wrong.

Acknowledging her older sister's command, Marilyn gave the wizened old goomba that they'd tied up in the corner a big bonk on the head. As a result, he ceased his muffled cursing and – once again – became unconscious.

"Buh." The rotund shadow grunted, as if telling off the old man for being uncomfortable as their prisoner.

"Now that's much better!" Beldam exclaimed. She hadn't been too excited about the task of babysitting this elderly old loony in the first place, even if it _was _a crucial part of their plan. But nonetheless, she'd have her fun soon – as soon as that doppelganger led them to the cabin. Oh, yes, she'd have her fun then – yes indeed.

"Buh huh … buh-buh?" The shrill shadow creature snapped her head toward Marilyn as soon as the words had reached her ears. Unlike seemingly everybody else, she understood her dim-witted sister when she spoke.

"What do you mean, 'What if they stomp all over us like the Mario Brothers'?" Beldam snapped. "Are you doubting our abilities like that traitor sister of ours?"

Even Marilyn realized that she had struck a nerve, thus quickly trying to mend it with a hastened grunt. "B-buh!"

"There's a good girl, now that you're back to your senses. As I said before, these weirdoes won't stand a –"

The door slammed open at that precise moment, as the said-weirdoes skidded to a halt inside of the little log cabin, accompanied by Princess Darci, who shut the door behind her.

"Let the old geezer go!" Wario demanded, pulling on his metal cap. Beldam merely sneered, giving a shrill snicker.

"Not a chance, fatso, not a chance. You see, you've fallen right into our laps!"

Waluigi's expression turned to a look of exasperation instantaneously. "Ah crap, I knew something wasn't right."

Puzzled, Boocifer questioned, "What are you talking about?"

"Her attitude – it was too fake." Now both of his companions were staring at him in confusion, as silence fell on the room for a moment, before Waluigi further explained his reasoning. "Any dame who has that good of looks ain't gonna be all sugar-and-spice."

Before any of them could respond to this odd comment, they heard a BANG! from behind them, as well as an eerie cackle.

"Ta-da! Whatd'ya know, the human twig was right for once!" Whipping their gazes around to face the imposter, their eyes met with his own bright red ones. For a moment, they merely gawked at the ghoul-gone-wrong, before letting out a yelp in unison.

"I think it's high time this little rendezvous got a little more interesting, hm?" With that, Beldam tossed a miniscule cube into the middle of the room, similar to the one Mouser had used. And once the smoke had come and gone back into its source, they were gone.

---------

**( _The Shadow Sirens' Arena_ )**

There was one thing that Wario could say he liked about Mouser: At least he kept it simple.

The so-called arena could be accurately described as a decrepit old mansion, consisting of a spacious main room, four hallways which branched from it (They must have all connected to each other in some way) and a roof, from which was cut a fair-sized rectangular hole. Multi-colored flames, giving off a very eerie glow, lighted the arena.

Then, from out of nowhere, the three were startled by a shrill cry of, "Are you afraid of the dark? Well I think its time we confirmed those fears!"

"Fear the wrath of Doopliss the great! … And Beldam and Marilyn." The last part was added in a much less enthusiastic voice from the speaker.

"Buh!"

**BOSS BATTLE TIME!**

**Beldam (HP 1), Marilyn (HP 1), and Doopliss (HP 1)**

"Alright, so how are we gonna take down these freaks?" Waluigi asked in a forced calm voice. All three were looking around wildly, trying to find the source of the cackling, knowing it could be anywhere.

"Well, there's three of us, and three of them. That's a start." Wario suggested, on his toes for any in-coming attacks.

"I say we each take on the one with similar strengths. That way, it'll be a battle of skill – giving us a good chance, eh?" Boocifer chimed in.

"Yeah, that's a pretty good idea, but who should go against who?" The stoutest of the three inquired, his brother being next in line to input an idea.

"Well, they've got Strength – that would be Marilyn, and magic, the old hag, and … well, I suppose you could call it wits for that freak in a sheet."

"Then it's decided!" Boocifer exclaimed. "Wario should take on Marilyn, I'll go against Beldam, and Waluigi … good luck with the defective Halloween costume." Before anybody had the chance to protest, a blast of icy wind was blown their way, causing them to scatter throughout the arena as Beldam let them know that she was done waiting.

"Come play, you homosapien wimps!" She taunted with a snicker. However, Boocifer didn't take too well to this, finding it quite demeaning.

"NEVER taunt a Boo, you old hag!" Swiftly, he flew high into the air; only find that his opponent had been waiting on the roof the entire time. His hands began to glow with a crimson red light, and hers with a cold, icy blue one, facing off. It wasn't until the two lights had reached their maximum that the first spell was fire, and the battle begun.

Meanwhile, below the explosions of color, the _clanks_ and_ thuds_ of Wario's footsteps echoed through the main room. He kept his eyes peeled for any sign of movement from the great oaf of an opponent he was about to face, ready for the worst. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, you great, big –"

"BUH!"

A large gloved fist made contact with the bottom of Wario's jaw as Marilyn popped up from the ground, performing an uppercut as she rose. And to his surprise, he actually felt a jolt of pain surge through his entire jowl, despite the metal covering it. Groaning, he shook his head vigorously for a moment, trying to shake off the pain. Seeing this as an opportunity to make a dent in the metal man, Marilyn pulled back her fist in preparation for impact, and … was sent soaring back a few feet by a punch thrown by her now-recovered opponent.

"I will NOT be beaten by a massive ogre of a female!" Wario snarled, preparing for the next strike.

As the others faced off in the main areas of the arena, Waluigi found that his opponent had chosen the intertwining halls that branched off from the main room. Hammer in hand, he walked down the corridors, keeping his target firm in his mind. Of course, he realized, this was going to be a bit of a challenge, considering that he had learned by now that Doopliss was, conveniently, a doppelganger, and could possess almost any shape he wished to take.

"It's fitting, though." The skeletal man sneered as he attempted to find Doopliss. "After all, I wouldn't want to be seen like that in public if I were the freak in sheet." To his satisfaction, this comment had served its purpose in luring him out of hiding.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LIVING STICK MAN?" Doopliss yelled, leaping from the shadows, party hat and all. "You don't have any room to talk!"

A scowl appeared on Waluigi's gaunt face as this insult met his ears. Swinging his hammer from over his shoulder in preparation to fight, he gave the ghoul a sharp, sinister, chilling glare. "I'd keep my big mouth shut if I were you, you Halloween reject!"

Instead of continuing this verbal battle, Doopliss lifted his arms slightly, shaking all over, before a loud BANG! issued through the halls of the arena. In his place stood colossal reptile, flaming red brows narrowing, crimson eyes fixed in a glare.

"… Oh, of all the shapes you could have picked!" Waluigi groaned out of exasperation. "Bowser? That's _so_ unoriginal!" A growl issued from the back of the Koopa King's throat, and from his mouth came a spurt of flames, causing his opponent to yelp and jump back a few feet.

"Still think it's unoriginal?" Doopliss asked with a fanged sneer.

While the shape shifter set to work in the weaving halls of the coliseum, his magic-casting companion begun to realize that this particular Boo had much more up his sleeve than she had first thought. Granted, it had taken being trapped in a bubble for her to realize this.

"Ugh!" Beldam shrieked, finally regaining her concentration after falling prey to Boocifer's creative trap. The pale green blur of a boo whisked around the surrounding area, trying to move fast enough so as not to be an easy target for his predator, who instantly began to shoot bursts of icy wind toward him. Almost all of these missed, but every now and then a shot would hit the poor ghost, causing him to freeze temporarily.

Only when she stopped her mad rush of spell casting to recharge did Boocifer had a shot at a hit. Stubby arms glowing with a yellowish light, he looked toward the sky and unleashed the light with a yell of, "Don't fail me now, storm clouds!"

ZZZZAP! **HIT!**

With a shriek, Beldam fell to the ground, silenced as she was sucked into the ground and out of the arena. **BELDAM – KO'D!**

Boocifer flew happily around in little circles; a grin trademark to boos universally plastered on his face. With a little squeal of joy, he whispered excitedly to himself, "I did it!"

Back on the ground, an all-out brawl had commenced, pushing brains aside for the sake of brawn.

Both competitors were taking countless blows without flinching, their defenses equally matched. After the first few hits Wario had found the source of Marilyn's unreal defensive and offensive abilities: a Power Punch Potion, which he could only guess she had taken shortly before hitting him with the first blow. And if that was the case, then the battle was more of an endurance competition than anything else.

"BUUUUH!" Marilyn cried, barreling at Wario in an attempt to throw him off his feet and go in for the kill. Seeing this coming (she'd already tried this little maneuver about 5 times), Wario hopped into the air and landed on her back, before leaping off. With a grunt, she heaved herself back to her feet, a determined scowl on her face.

Then it happened; just as she was about to throw a punch, the slight glow that was an aftereffect of the Power Punch Potion faded, as she felt the extra boost of strength and defense drain from her. Frozen in shock, she was left completely vulnerable to an uppercut, sending her flying through the air and into the wall. **HIT!**

"B-buuuuuh …" With that, she drifted into unconsciousness, and faded into the ground just as her sister had moments before. **MARILYN KO'D!**

Wario gave a hearty laugh, grinning like a madman as he boasted, "You didn't even stand a chance!"

The last of the ghouls left standing now entered into the main room … shortly after a rather scorched-looking Waluigi ran in wildly before him. Wario jumped back onto the sidelines to watch, Boocifer floating down beside the yellow-clad man.

The Bowser-imposter gave a maniacal laugh, which had become a trademark through the years to the Koopa King. Flashing a fanged grin, he opened his mouth wide to unleash another round of fiery vengeance, but was stopped when a feeling of pain rushed through his tail and spread all over his body, causing him to unleash a yelp not unlike a dog. Well, a big, reptilian dog that breathes fire, at any rate.

With another loud BANG, Doopliss returned to his normal shape, panting slightly. Whipping his head around to get a glance at what had hit him, he saw Waluigi standing there; hammer in hand, looking rather smug.

"I still think it's unoriginal." He teased, causing anger to boil in the pit of Doopliss' stomach.

"You want original? Fine then, I know your weakness!" Leaping back, he once again raised his arms and began to shake all over, until another loud BANG! echoed through the air, and instead of a one-of-a-kind 'freak-in-a-sheet', there stood the princess of Sarasaland, gorgeous as ever.

"Oh, Waluigi …" Before he knew what had hit him, the Daisy-imposter had flung herself into Waluigi's arms. A bit shocked at this, he fought to keep in mind that this was all a trick, and that this was just some stupid ghost, not the bodacious brunette he'd always been forced to admire from afar. Tearing her sapphire eyes toward his gray ones, she spoke again. "How could I have _ever_ found that bumbling idiot Luigi more attractive than _you_?"

Opening his mouth to reply, a sudden wave of realization swept over him. For some reason, he didn't find it nearly as hard to look past what images where in front of him, past all the deception. The real Princess Daisy had chosen Luigi over him, it was done with. And now, there was another female he wanted to pursue, another one who had caught his eye, someone else.

Breaking through the trance, he swung his hammer wildly at Doopliss, sending him flying into the wall with a loud _CRASH!_ **HIT!**

"SHADDUP, YOU TWITTERING FREAK!" Even as Waluigi yelled this, Doopliss' unconscious body began to fade from the arena, and finally, the last of the Shadow Sirens was down for the count. But before he was completely faded away, Waluigi caught the glimmer of an emerald of some kind clutched in the ghost's hands. With a last struggle of strength, Doopliss spoke, his voice strained.

"You may … have beaten us … b-but we got … th-the Emerald … D-Daisy …" **DOOPLISS KO'D!**

**WINNERS: WARIO, WALUIGI and BOOCIFER!**

**--------**

**( _Forest of Deceit – Gomer's Cabin_ )**

With a loud thud, all three of them landed back on the floor of the old log cabin they had been in before. The wizened old goomba in the corner stared as they all got up and brushed themselves off.

Wario and Boocifer merely stared at Waluigi, who was now calmly approaching them. Jaws dropped, they were still replaying what they had just seen in the back of their minds. A smug expression was on the lanky man's face, victory having been his. Wario was the first to regain his voice, spitting out the first words that came to mind.

"… You've got serious issues, bro."

"Coming from you?" Waluigi questioned with a grin, walking over to the goomba prisoner to untie and un-gag him. With a little cough, he got to his feet, hacking slightly.

"Whoa Nelly! That was quite an adventure and a half there. Hehf-haroof-hehf!" His laugh was actually similar to his cough, which was quite disconcerting. The goomba was a very, very dark shade of blue, with black feet. The three could only guess that it was the coloring of many native Eclipso Kingdom goombas. With a slight smile, the old geezer introduced himself. "I'm Gomer, a retired professor who once taught ancient history at the University of Goom."

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**Author's Note:** Yay! Chapter Three is complete! By the way, if you were wondering, yes, The Shadow Sirens' (minus Vivian and plus Doopliss) Arena was modeled after the Luigi's Mansion battle arena in 'Mario Kart: Double Dash!'. And I hope that this chapter flowed fine – I know it got a bit bizarre, but I wanted to get this up soon. And yes, so you don't get impatient, the whole 'Eight Powers' thing will get explained in the next chapter.

I must admit, I am sort of making Waluigi the star of this fanfic – but I think it's high time he got some attention. But I'll make sure not to totally block out everyone else, don't worry. So now, you've been warned. Also, I want to hear what you all think of how I'm developing the plot in this fic; feedback is truly loved! Well, 'til the next chapter, ciao!


	4. 4: The Plot Thickens

**Author's Note:** Wow! Chapter Four already! Usually, I don't make it nearly this far, so you'll have to excuse my enthusiasm about that little fact. At any rate, I once again want to thank my lovely, delightful reviewers! … What? Am I trying to bribe you into continuing to read my fic? Er, um, well heavens no! Eh heh…

On a much more plot-related note, there really isn't much of a boss battle this chapter. I apologize, but this chapter was mostly for plot development – believe me, I crammed a lot of new stuff in here. The last setting for this chapter will carry on into the next, just in case you were wondering, too. And I hope you still enjoy reading it – even if there was a bit of a delay in there. Next chapter should provide some more action, hm? Oh and about the chapter title … I couldn't think of anything else. Yes, I know, that's … pathetic. Alright, at any rate, enjoy!

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**Chapter Four: And the plot thickens …**

**( _Somewhere far, far away …_ )**

"I seriously need a vacation from this 'taking over the world' business …" If anything, it had been the Shadow Sirens' half-victory that had pushed the Princess' captor to this conclusion. Once again, his minions had failed in the simple task of defeating that unexpected threesome of heroes, and this time, the thrill of being one step closer to having all of the Eight Powers had not made up for this loss.

The vast, eerie emptiness of the room that held his 'throne' (for lack of a better word) was always a place where he came up with his best ideas. Truly, it was just a large, stone room, with one small window on the left side of it that revealed a snow-covered horizon, chilling and barren of seemingly any life force. It was quite depressing, really; but that's what he liked about the location of his fortress.

The villain himself could now be properly seen in the ray of light that shone through the single window; and now it was apparent why he had kept himself hidden from his three captives. The figure residing on the throne-like chair at the back of the large, empty room was almost skeletal; his limbs were long and spindly, his face was long and gaunt. He was incredibly lanky, with a very bony build; the same build, in fact, as the tallest of his newfound nuisances.

There were differences, of course. The most apparent of these was his hair; for unlike his counterpart, the villain didn't wear any sort of hat. Instead, his brown hair was greased back, thus leaving his loathing gray eyes in full view, as well as what appeared to be a diamond-shaped marking of some kind smack-dab in the middle of his forehead and a small, thin scar over his left eye. From under his upper lip, two small white fangs could be seen poking out, giving him a very austere, almost vampiric appearance. Adding to this was his garb, which consisted of a crimson red suit (it had a very sharp, pointed look about it somehow), a black dress shirt beneath it, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of jet-black pointy-toed shoes. And to finish off his looming manifestation, he wore a black cape – long and flowing, like a dark mist behind him.

Whether or not it was a mere coincidence that this crook bore the likeness of Waluigi was something that he kept secret, and planned to keep secret for as long as need be. As long as he could keep himself _distinguishable_ from his counterpart, he was just fine with the resemblance – just as long as nobody brought it up, that is. After all, if nobody were to suggest otherwise, than he managed to convince himself that there was still a certain sort of _charm_ that his much gloomier look alike didn't possess in any way, shape, or form.

"It's only a matter of time, my dear, old friend." The words escaped his lips almost like a hiss due to the sense of loathing that escaped along with them, his voice as nasally as his 'dear, old friend's'. However, his alone time was brought to an abrupt end as an opaque aquamarine blur shot into the room at a high speed.

"Count Rahmet, sir, I've just received a message from –" But the boo's voice was cut off immediately by his master's.

"I know, I know." A scowl spread across his gaunt, pale face as he spoke. "Your younger brother _does_ have a better grip on the basics of telepathic communication than you ever did, Boomarius." There seemed to be a sudden wave of jealousy that rushed over the bright bluish boo's face, but was quickly choked down.

"Well? What're we gonna do, then?"

"Nothing for now." The tall, lanky villain immediately noticed his underling's disappointment at this, and added to his answer. "The little traitor's made his choice for now. All we can do now is wait for him to come to his senses."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'll go and have a little chat with Boocifer myself."

-----------------------------

**( _Forest of Deceit – Gomer's Cabin _)**

"So … then this whole 'Eight Powers' jazz is a big deal, after all?" Wario asked, keeping the slight sense of worry that had begun to rise in him to himself. The old ex-professor gave a firm little nod of confirmation.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, boys. Let's see here, I think I've got a couple o' books on the subject around here somewhere …" Shuffling toward one of the nearby walls (almost all of the cabin was covered with bookshelves which seemed to be holding more than they were made to hold), he began to search for one of the said-books. "Hrm … Nope, wouldn't be in 'P' … or, maybe it would, for 'powers' or somethin' … hrrmph … where IS that raggedy old thing…?"

"Is this it, Professor?" Boocifer asked, holding up a white hardcover book with some sort of odd design etched in gold on the front.

"Yesirree! Why, where on earth did you find it, sonny?" As he spoke, he shuffled over and nabbed the book out of the ghost's grasp (somehow he did it without hands – the way goombas did this was really starting to get to the two brothers).

"Over here in this big gaudy shelf labeled 'Really ancient important stuff'."

"Why, I'll be darned! I forgot all about that shelf! Heff harooph heff!" Once again, the elderly goomba gave a hacking chuckle, before going over to the cluttered dusk near the three adventurers, setting the book down on the top of it and opening it to what appeared to be an index of sorts. "Hrm … lessee here … AH-HA! Here we go! 'A History of The Eight Powers' … page 108."

As the old goomba flipped to the correct page, Waluigi muttered something indistinguishable – but presumably sarcastic – under his breath. Finally, the Professor found the correct page and immediately began reading the text.

" '_Though many believe the ancient tale of the Eight Powers to be mere fantasy, the tale itself is quite intriguing, and though evidence of truth in the old legend is scarce, there is still some scattered throughout the land. This is the legend that has been inscribed in the ruins of the once-prosperous land called 'Archranoa'._

_Countless centuries ago, there was once a wise young ruler who ruled over the fairly advanced race called the 'Archrones'. These people lived a happy, prosperous and well-off life, having an incredibly fruitful and lush land to work from. But there were eight who were not satisfied with their King's ways, and decided to overthrow him in any way possible. Thus, they approached the King one day and protested. But when their ruler scorned them for such ideas and suggestions, they grew angry, and sought to destroy him. Little by little, they grew angrier at every failed attempt, and the King found it harder and harder to withstand their constant malice. Finally, he found a way to seal the eight beings that had become full of spite and hatred into eight pure crystals. These became the Eight Powers, and since then, they have been scattered throughout the land into separate places._

_Anybody who harnesses all eight and brings them to the top floor on the Tower of Awakening with all three of the Untainted Maidens present will evoke the power of all eight crystals. Though it is unknown as to what the 'Untainted Maidens' are, or what the 'power of the crystals' is, there is said to be a four-line poem of sorts which answers these questions inscribed on the entrance of the Tower of Awakening.' "_

With that, Gomer closed the book, looking up at the three adventurers in front of him.

"That's all it says?" Waluigi exclaimed, disappointed with the vague ending.

"I'm afraid so." Gomer sighed heavily. "But at least we now know that the villain behind all of this is after the Power of the Eight Crystals, whatever that may be. He must have figured out the answer of the poem, as well, which would explain why Princess Peach, Princess Daisy and Princess Darci all went missing around the same time – they _must_ be the 'untainted maidens'. Otherwise, why would he have kidnapped them?" His voice was shaking slightly. "Whoever's behind this whole ordeal has done his research, that's for sure. But I think we may have one advantage that he has failed to recognize." The smirk that suddenly appeared on Gomer's face puzzled all three of them, Wario being the first to voice his confusion.

"Err, old man? What the heck are you talking about? This guy's gotta be one of those really annoying, geeky history buffs. We ain't got nothin' on him when it comes to this kinda stuff."

"Oh-ho-ho, now I wouldn't be so quick to draw a conclusion there, sonny! There's something I'd like to get for you boys. Wait just a second, hm?" Without a moment to spare, the old geezer shuffled off into the back room of his cabin, emerging with what appeared to be an old, ratty diary of sorts. "This is an amazing old book, that once belonged to the ruler in the legend himself! It knows the location of each and every one of the Eight Powers, as well as being a good source of information about the background history of almost _any_ place or person you can imagine! All you need to do is write your question in the pages of the book, and it will write an answer right back!"

For a moment, the three of them merely stared at Gomer, digesting what he had just said. This was turning out to be much more intricate and less believable with every second. Growing tired of there gawking, however, Gomer tossed the book – as well as a pencil – toward Waluigi forcefully, as they sailed through the air and slammed into his face.

"TRY IT OUT ALREADY! I ain't gettin' any younger, ya know!" Quickly, he picked up both the pencil and diary, and after a moment of thinking, he came up with a simple question to test it with. As he scribbled the question into the old book, both Boocifer and Wario peered over at what he was writing.

_What is your name?_

Though this seemed like a silly question to ask a book, Waluigi figured that they might as well have _something_ to call it by. To his surprise, an answer appeared almost instantly, fading into view on the old parchment-like pages.

_**A more accurate question would be, 'What should I call you', wouldn't it?**_

"Oh joy. The book doesn't only think on it's own, but it's _cynical_, too." Waluigi muttered, quickly scribbling yet another message into the pages of the book.

_Well aren't we just a smart little thing? Fine, then. What should I call you?_

_**Why, yes, I am smart. Thank you for the complement. And you may call me Marvin.**_

The three merely stared at the parchment for a moment, surprised at such a normal name. Finally, Wario snatched the book out of Waluigi's hands (as well as the pencil), and before his younger brother could protest, he was already writing down another question.

_Marvin, can you tell us the location of the nearest of the Eight Powers?_

_**Why, certainly. The closest of the Eight Powers is the Golden Lily, located on the sunny shores of Isle Delfino.**_

… _And do you know about how much you might sell for? You know, being a … 'talking' book and all?_

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the book slammed shut so quickly that Wario barely had time to yank his hand out of it. Behind him, both Boocifer and Waluigi were struggling to suppress their snickering, but not exactly succeeding in doing so, causing Wario to silently fume.

"What on _earth_ did you ask it that made it reject you?" Gomer questioned, shuffling over to the book and picking it up.

"Erg, um … well … err …" He now realized just how embarrassing what he had written was, as Gomer picked up the little diary, coaxing it open and reading what Wario had written. He immediately scowled disapprovingly, handing the book to Waluigi and muttering to the lankier of the two brothers.

"Keep this out of your money-grubbing brother's hands, would you?" Waluigi smirked smugly, nodding and throwing a teasing glance toward Wario.

"Now then, back to business. It seems that the Golden Lily is located on Isle Delphino, known to be a prime spot for tourists, seeing as it's simply the _perfect_ spot for a vacation." The elderly goomba explained. He immediately noticed the sparkle that seemed to ignite in all three of the heroes' eyes, and gave a little hacking chuckle. "Now, don't you three get any ideas – you're not going there on vacation – you're there on _business_! Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, business, right … so how are we gonna get to this place?" Gomer sighed heavily as Wario asked this, realizing that the three hadn't really paid any attention to him. But even so, he let this fact go, and answered Wario's question.

"Well, you'll either have to get there by boat or by plane."

"What's cheaper?" Both brothers had asked this in unison, causing Boocifer to snicker quietly behind them.

"By boat. That is, of course, if you sneak on. Not that I'm _suggesting_ such behavior, but that _would _be the cheapest." Even though Gomer claimed that he was in no way or form condoning such behavior, he then added with a smirk, "There's a fruit freighter headed toward Isle Delphino in about in hour from the village just out of the forest. I live near the edge of the forest, so it shouldn't be long until you reach the village. Good luck, you three, and if I found out that you sold that diary you'll _all_ find yourself with some serious misfortune on your hands!"

After a moment of awkward silence, the three shrugged off the old goomba's threat and exited the cabin, the ancient diary in hand.

------------------

**( _Crescent Moon Village_ )**

The little diner in town had proved to hit the spot for Mario and Luigi after a long day's journey. Though they hadn't been able to find out much more about the mysterious disappearance of Princess Peach and Princess Daisy, they hadn't run into any trouble, which was quite a relief. At least, Luigi thought so. It was Mario who seemed to find this quite odd.

"Luigi, do you think that the bad guys just don't _realize_ we're headed after them yet?" The red-clad plumber asked for about the third time.

"Mario, I don't think we need to worry about it! Aren't you _happy_ we haven't had any unfortunate run-ins yet?" This only caused the shorter of the brothers to heave a sigh, deciding that it was best not to bother his brother with the topic any longer. "Besides, it's getting late – it's already getting dark outside, see? I think you just need to relax. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, right?"

"Right." A little bit of silence followed, before Mario brought up a new topic. "By the way, didn't Goombella say she would meet us here after she found an inn for us to stay at?" But Luigi didn't answer. He was busy gawking past his brother, at the diner's entrance. His mouth seemed to open and close ever so slightly, quivering a bit. At seeing this, a horrible feeling of dread rushed through him. His brother only got this way about two things, the only two things he was scared of more than anything else, the only two things that made Luigi even more nervous and finicky than usual, the only two things …

"What's wrong, Shorty? You look like you've seen a _ghost_!" The voice came from behind Mario, from the direction of the entrance – a nasally, sneering voice, one that would send chills up almost anybody's spine. And on top of that, an eerie, familiar cackle much like many he had heard before came from beside the first.

" … Mama-mia." Spinning around instantly, Mario met eyes with those of his yellow-clad rival, and behind him were two others, the ones that had spoken: Waluigi and a pale green boo of some sort, complete with a black leather cape.

"Well well, plumber-boy, I didn't expect to run into _you_ here!" Wario sneered. Already, the five-some had attracted the attention of almost everyone else in the diner, as the tension grew thicker with each and every passing second.

"W-what are _you_ creeps d-doing here?" Luigi stuttered, his voice wavering as he stood up, eyes fixed on the tallest and skinniest of the 'creeps', trying his best to look strong and intimidating. Unfortunately, his quivering voice and shaking knees gave him away.

Waluigi gave a hearty laugh at his rival's failed attempt at bravery. He knew quite well that the green-clad plumber might have done a better job of it if Boocifer weren't floating right beside him. Even so, the lanky man had found that just being near his 'old pal' made the green-clad plumber-apprentice shudder. Not that he _enjoyed_ this newfound ability or anything.

"Now now, _old pal,_ there's no need to _conceal_ your fear. We ALL know you're just a scaredy-cat when it comes down to it." Waluigi's smug grin was all the motivation Mario needed to stand up and glare at his brother's rival, doing a much better job of being intimidating than Luigi had.

"At least he isn't so egocentric as to _laugh_ in the face of danger he can't measure up to!" Mario snapped, causing Waluigi's grin to fade away. But almost as soon as these words were out of the famous hero's mouth, Wario stepped in front of his brother, coming face to face with Mario.

"Look, _chubby_, save the heroics for your 'pretty little princess'! … Then again, that sniveling wimp of a brother of yours _could_ be considered –"

"Hey!" Luigi yelped, looking quite hurt, and yet quickly furrowing his brow and glaring at Wario. Meanwhile, behind the yellow-clad duel master, Waluigi was barely managing to stifle a snicker.

"Are you calling _me_ 'chubby'?" Mario questioned. "And quit picking on my brother! I'm not even sinking _that_ low – and we all know that there's plenty of opportunity for _that_!" As the bickering and tension grew between the two old rivals, the rage seemed to grow and grow as well, until aggravated hand-gestures became punches. And then, finally, the line between a yelling match and an all-out brawl was crossed.

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOIN' DOWN!" As Wario yelled, he wound up a punch, which was then delivered directly at Mario – who was consequently sent flying into the nearest table.

"Mama-MIA! That _really_ smarts …" Mario groaned, before whipping himself up onto his feet again, fists raised.

"Err … I'm uh … just going to stand … back _here …_" Waluigi muttered nervously, quickly taking cover behind a table near the left wall of the diner.

"HEAD FOR COVER!" Boocifer shrieked as the vicious fistfight grew in intensity, flying at top-speed behind the said-table.

"Gah! Yeeeesh!" Luigi squealed, zipping into the now-stuffy hiding spot. Even if he _was_ having trouble ignoring Waluigi's glares and Boocifer's … well, his mere presence, really, as soon as Mario had given Wario 'the chair', he knew that this was _not_ going to be a pretty fight. Meanwhile, back in the fray, Wario quick recovered from this hit, only to head-butt Mario into a nearby table. However, the plumber quickly rushed back at his enemy in a flying kick, which left a red spot the shape of the bottom of Mario's shoe on Wario's arm where it had hit.

"So, what are the _famous_ Mario brothers doing in a little ol' place like Crescent Moon Village?" Boocifer's bone-chilling voice brought Luigi brutally back to earth, as he ripped his gaze away from the fight and back at the pale-green boo and his rival.

"We're trying to find and rescue Princess Peach and Daisy." He replied rather quickly, managing to keep his voice steady. "We just stopped here to rest up."

"What a coincidence! We – well, these two were sent to –" But before Boocifer could finish his statement, Waluigi had placed his hand over the specter's mouth to muffle his words.

"Shut up for once, would you!" The skeletal man snarled – but it was too late – Luigi had heard all he needed to here. Smiling ever so slightly, the green-clad plumber guessed at what the ghost had meant to say.

"You were sent to save the princesses too?" Luigi gave a small chuckle. "By who?" He wanted to say, 'Who in their right minds would send you and your brother to _save a princess_', but managed to resist the urge.

"By nobody. We're not going after blondie and Daisy." Luigi noticed Waluigi's voice didn't falter slightly as he spoke of the lovely brunette for once, but decided it was best not to call him out on it – he was quite happy to hear this, actually. He never _did_ feel comfortable with his rival's obsession over Daisy. "Actually, we're after Princess Darci, but they're all probably in the same place." Despite his words, Waluigi seemed to keep a steady flow of cold, heartless loathing in his voice. Except, oddly, when he had spoken of this 'other' princess. Then, he seemed to let his guard down for just a moment.

"Then essentially … " Luigi gulped slightly before suggesting this, " … we're both on the same quest, eh?"

"Don't kid yourself, Shorty. If you think you can get all buddy-buddy with me just because we happen to have a similar goal in mind, I suggest you –"

"Actually, he's got a point." Boocifer piped up, seemingly oblivious to the sharp glare he was receiving from Waluigi. "If we're after the same goal, then why shouldn't we just … cooperate? Eh? Whatd'ya say?" It was certainly odd; if Boocifer hadn't have suggested it, the two would have gone on a wild goose-chase for the same thing, yet more then likely, hinder each other's progress in the process. Sharing the glory suddenly paled into insignificance – in _both_ of their eyes. Three lives were on the line – the lives of three gorgeous damsels. Boocifer was, once again, suggesting the obvious; being the voice of reason.

"Maybe we could … err, I mean to say … you could … we should …" Waluigi seemed unable to get the words out, or, more so, he merely didn't want to admit it.

"… Put our grudges on hold for the time being?" Luigi suggested, extending his hand in signal of a truce.

"Yeah." Practically against his will, Waluigi shook his rival's hand, and met eyes with his much more pacifistic counterpart; he felt a sickening pang of disgust rush through him as he watched himself close the deal with Luigi. This was _not_ going to be easy.

Boocifer, however, was finding it quite ironic that while the younger of the four made a 'pact of peace', Wario and Mario continued to duke it out.

"You wanna play that way, pretty-boy? HUH? DO YA?" Wario barked loudly after receiving a rather harsh blow from his red-clad counterpart. Without a moment to spare, he leapt onto a nearby table, before …

**_SLAM!_**

"Mama-mia!" Luigi yelped, rushing over to his now-aching brother; Waluigi couldn't restrain his laughter – he knew full well that a body-slam from his brother would leave you aching for days on end.

"Well, now that you two have had a nice, friendly pummeling, can you shut up and sit still long enough to hear what happened while you were bashing each other's faces in?" His voice was soaked in sarcasm, as a snide grin appeared on his gaunt face. Mario seemed to merely toss him a glare, while Wario (seeing as he was used to his brother's untimely tactlessness) merely shifted his gaze toward him, taking a seat in the chair Mario had whacked him over the head with not too long ago.

"Mario, these two are actually on almost the same quest as we are." Luigi explained, giving a nervous smile. He suddenly felt the hot, piercing glares of the two rivals which had been fighting mere moments ago. Maybe it was that they didn't want to even imagine the possibility of having to work with each other, but somehow, they suddenly wanted to blame _anything_ that happened in the next few moments to come on Luigi.

"Normally I would say 'don't kill the messenger', but in this case, I'll make an exception." Waluigi sneered, noting their sudden rush of anger. Really, it was just Wario – Mario seemed a tad disgruntled, but it simply wasn't in his character to get _too_ worked up over this.

"Oh, quit it with the snide comments, toothpick-boy!" Wario snarled, simultaneously tossing a punch his brother's way. Luckily, Waluigi expected this, ducking quickly with an odd sort of grin on his face. Now it was Luigi's turn to chuckle quietly. If he wasn't mistaken, this almost seemed to be a _brotherly_ sort of action. '_Maybe those two _are_ human, after all.'_ Luigi thought teasingly, the faint trace of a smile on his face. But he quickly continued on to explain what had transpired while the other two were busy beating each other to a pulp.

"… So anyway, Waluigi and I have decided that it would be best for us to cooperate instead of fighting each other along the way!" Out of pure exasperation, Waluigi covered his face with his hand, mumbling to himself bitterly. However, as he shifted one of his fingers so that he could properly see their reactions to Luigi's blunt statement, he noticed that Mario seemed to be quite alright with the idea. However, _he_ wasn't the lanky man's concern …

"_You did **what**_?" Wario hissed, dragging his brother back a few feet so as to give them a little more … privacy.

"Boocifer suggested it!" Waluigi pointed an accusing finger toward the specter, which was now floating their way.

"Hey guys! What seems to be the -? OWWEEEE!" Once again, Boocifer had earned a smack across the face for letting his big mouth fly freely, this one from Wario and harder than before. "You know, I actually think I didn't deserve _that_ one."

"Of _course_ you deserved it you annoying little – do you have any idea what you've just done? Now we have to deal with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumber!"

"Would you let goof my arm already, you gargantuan buffoon?" Waluigi snapped, feeling as if the circulation had been cut off for a tad longer than he'd have liked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Wario muttered, letting go of his brother's arm and ignoring his sarcastic mumbling. "So now, I've gotta team up with a guy who I just beat up and we all _know_ doesn't exactly think highly of me, all because of you?"

"And your hatred towards him doesn't play a role in your rivalry? Oh, well _of course it doesn't_! What was I _thinking_?" Waluigi drawled, sarcasm flowing abundantly in and throughout his mocking tone. "And of course, you know me, I'm just having a _jolly good time_ with the whole idea of teaming up with Shorty over there!" Wario scowled, glaring at his brother for such comments. Truth really didn't matter at the moment; Wario just wasn't in the mood for this sort of obnoxious banter. Then again, he never really was.

"I know what we should do." Boocifer concluded. "We should consult Marvin for advice!"

"NO!" But it was too late; by the time they could protest, the specter had already whipped out the little old diary and a pen and was just scribbling away.

_Marvin, do you think that we should join forces with the Mario Brothers?_

_**That depends.**_

… _On what?_

_**Are they on the same quest as you are?**_

_Pretty much, yeah._

_**Then yes you should.**_

"See? He thinks so too!" Boocifer concluded smugly; but then, something caught his eye. Right below Marvin's answer, the same exact handwriting was fading into view – was he adding on to his answer, perhaps?

"Oh? Well what's this? Let's take a look-see at what else the _oh-so-wise_ Marvin has to say." Smirking, Waluigi snatched up the diary from out of Boocifer's small, stubby hands, and proceeded to read the text.

_**But don't let them steal the show, hm? And make sure that you weed out all the information from them that you can – that way, if they get too annoying, you can just loose them without loosing any valuable information, too. I think that goes without saying, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.**_

_Marvin, you're not as nice as you look, are you?_

_**You try being a ratty old diary for too many centuries to count – see if you care about how the opposing team feels anymore.**_

Grinning, he closed the book and tucked it away once again, feeling a tad bit better about the whole talking-book ordeal. As weird as it was, it seemed that it didn't always play nice; and Waluigi liked that.

"Well then, Marvin's given us a plan, hm? Happy now, Boocifer?"

"No, not re-"

"Too bad! The book has spoken, and we listened. Now then, enough of this! Let's sort this all out with our favorite little plumber-duo!" Wario stated with a grin, though the jest had returned into his voice at long last. Because of this, Boocifer merely smirked, happy to see that he was no longer boiling with rage.

"Well? Have you made your choice?" Mario asked with a yawn, sounding as if he had just woken up from a short nap. Had they really taken that long?

"Yeah, and you two are coming with us." Waluigi answered, throwing a glance toward his brother. "Don't we have to get going in a second?"

"For … ?" Wario stared blankly at his brother for a moment, before his memory finally supplied an answer to his question. "Oh, yeah! The fruit freighter! But … we didn't even get a chance to get dinner!"

"Oh well, fatso! Live with it!" Waluigi snapped, Boocifer quickly adding on to this.

"We can steal some of the fruit from the cargo hold we'll be stowing away in! Now let's get going, the boat leaves in ten minutes!" As the specter spoke, he pointed to the clock, before floating towards the doors in a panicked rush.

"Wait, w-what! What are you all – HEY!" Before the entire question was out of Luigi's mouth, a firm hand was placed on his left arm, before proceeding to drag him out of the diner.

"Oh, pipe down, Shorty!" Waluigi snarled in reply, causing Luigi to quickly obey.

"Mama-mia, Wario! I can't feel my right arm!" Mario groaned, in no shape to fight back at the moment.

"And I would care _because_ …?" This cynical retort was all the response he got out of Wario, before being dragged out behind the other two. Whatever those three were plotting, he knew he wouldn't like it, whatever 'it' may have been.

-------------

**( _Isle Delphino – Docks_ )**

"Wow, what a place!" Luigi exclaimed, eyes wide as he stared in awe at the sun-bathed beaches, and the sparkling, relaxing glimmer of it all. "You weren't kidding when you said this place was amazing! It's beyond that, Bro!"

Mario chuckled at his brother's enthusiasm. "Yep, I knew you'd like it. Of course, I had no idea that I'd be returning here anytime soon, and certainly not with _these_ two …"

Right behind them, both Wario and Waluigi followed, along with a currently shocked Boocifer. He seemed to be just as amazed at the island as Luigi was. However, Wario and Waluigi did _not _have the same reaction, their minds focused on the task at hand.

"Looks like we've been demoted from the ranking of 'Demeaning Pests' to 'Unnatural and Socially Dangerous Abominations', bro." Wario muttered, smirking slightly, causing Mario to merely roll his eyes in exasperation. By now, the two had learned it was best to take pride in such comments – plus, this only irked the Mario Brothers even more so.

Then, without even a moment's warning, there was a loud, resounding _CRASH_ from behind Mario and Luigi, causing them to turn around instantly.

The scene that met their eyes was quite comical, in all honesty. On the ground in front of them lay both Wario and Waluigi, disgruntled and irate; and on top of them were the sources of all the ruckus: Two yoshies, each one distinctively different than any other that the Mario Brothers had ever seen.

The one that was currently pinning down Wario was a blindingly sleek sort of white, his shoes black, as well as his shell and 'spikes' (those small, rounded spike-like discs which line the backs of all Yoshies). His eyes had a sort of burning confidence in them, strengthened by the fiery red shade of his pupils. But the most distracting features were the gaudy, red belt around his waist, as well as the electric guitar strapped onto his back – the same burning red as his eyes. Looking past all the bold colors the Yoshi sported, his most defining feature was his muscular arms and legs – not outrageously so, but definitely enough to catch your eye.

Then there was the other Yoshi, who now stood on top of Waluigi, pinning him down in the same fashion as his comrade did to the other brother. This one was jet-black in color, his shoes, spikes, and shell white. Its eyes were different, as well, his pupils an intense, electrifying shade of violet. He, too, wore a belt around his waist – but his was the same shocking violet as his eyes. And around his neck was a black choker, complete with spikes. Unlike the first, however, he didn't have the same muscular build in his arms and legs; he was much slimmer, less buff looking.

"DUUUUDE!" The white Yoshi cried out, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Aw, man, can you believe this! Is … is this for REAL!"

"I think so, dude. Cool it with the pinning-down, 'kay dude?" This time it was the black Yoshi who spoke, his voice controlled and non-chalant. "I know you're excited, Bro, but you gotta get it together, ok dude? Are you listening to me, Bro?"

"Y-yeah … yeah, I … I think it's all good now … Yeah. Radical. Coolio. Gnarly. Neato."

"You done yet, Bro?" This time the darker of the two sounded quite bored.

"Yep. Got all the excitement out for now, I think." As the Yoshi spoke, the man laying beneath him had had enough of this, deciding to break up the pointless conversation.

"Would you _get off of me_?" Wario snarled, causing the white Yoshi to jump slightly, before leaping off immediately.

"You know, if I were you, I'd scram, considering that this goes _beyond_ violating my personal space …" Waluigi growled, as the black Yoshi yelped and followed the man's advice. Getting up and brushing themselves off, Wario and Waluigi stared at the Yoshies for a moment, watching as they proceed to each take off their belts. Extending it towards the men they had just been perched on, they exclaimed their next question in unison.

"Dude, can you, like, sign my belt?" There was an awkward sort of silence that followed. "Please?"

"Why would I – why do you _want_ me to –" But Waluigi never had a chance to fully ask the question. Wario threw him an odd glance, having already taken out a pen and snatched up the belt, scribbling his signature on it.

"Because, I'm, like totally your BIGGEST FAN EVER!"

"KEWL!" Exclaimed the white reptile, slipping the belt back on and practically glowing with excitement.

"In that case …" Smirking, Waluigi took the violet accessory in his right hand and signed with his left. "… here ya go." Handing it back to the Yoshi (who immediately put it back on and practically squealed with excitement), he decided not to dwell on the newly learned fact that he had fans, however enjoyable the idea was.

"Hold the phone … !" Boocifer suddenly zipped in front of Wario and Waluigi, staring in awe at the two yoshies, who stared right back. "… Dove? And Grissom? I can't believe it!"

"Whoa, dude … are you serious?" The white Yoshi (presumably Dove) gaped, while his brother (presumably Grissom) did what must have been some sort of bizarre handshake with the specter, ending in a head-butt. However, Grissom accidentally went through Boocifer, causing him to topple to the ground, laughing.

"Duuuuude! How long has it been, B-Dawg?" The rest of the conversation was quite entertaining to watch, more so because of the exaggerated hand gestures that the two Yoshi brothers continually used than anything else. By the time Boocifer finally spoke to his companions again, however, they had both lost track of where the conversation had ended up.

"So can they come along!" Boocifer asked excitedly.

"What is this, a day-care center!" Wario snapped, throwing a side-ways glance towards Dove as he spoke. The reptilian rocker defended his case immediately, however.

"Dude, we'd be really helpful, I swear! Like, for instance, not _only_ can we kick some serious monster butt, but we can reach high places by doing a flutter-jump!"

"And we come free of charge!" Grissom quickly added, before both broke into a chorus of pleading.

"PUH-LEEEEEEEEASE!" Unable to take their nagging for long, Waluigi quickly snapped a reply.

"FINE! JUST SHADDDUP!"

Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi had stopped paying attention to this whole ordeal long ago. It was the shorter of the two that decided it best to draw their attention to the center of the plaza, where a large, white, squid-like creature was wreaking havoc.

"Err, you guys? I think we may have a problem … " As the red-clad plumber spoke, the gargantuan Blooper snapped its gaze toward the seven-some, his brow furrowing and eyes filling with anger.

-------------------

**(BOSS BATTLE TIME!)**

**(Big Blooper: HP - 3)**

**( FIGHT! )**

"Let _us_ take this overgrown squid-face down!" Dove demanded, but before he could receive an answer, he dashed off toward the center of the plaza where the monster was.

"Wait up, Bro!" Grissom yelped, before following at an unbelievable speed.

Mario, Wario, Luigi and Waluigi all exchanged glances, before following after their two newest allies, Boocifer floating behind. If the reptilian brothers insisted on taking this thing down them selves, the least that they could do was make sure the two-some didn't get annihilated.

Meanwhile, the Blooper wasn't taking too kindly to his new opponents. Thrashing about, his tentacles swarmed after them, trying to swat them away like flies.

"What's our game plan, Bro?" Grissom inquired, dodging out of the way of one of the many fiercely propelled tentacles flying about.

"You know that attack we've been working on? The one where I use my little girl's flame-resistant coat to our advantage?" A grin played across Dove's face as he spoke. It was quite obvious that he was referring to his guitar when he used the term 'little girl', seeing as he stroked it slightly across the neck as the words came from his mouth.

" … You mean the newest one? Then yeah." Grissom's face lit up with a mischievous smile as well. As a glimmer ignited in his eyes, Dove only replied with three small words …

"Let's do it."

Letting out a sort of war cry, Big Blooper slammed his tentacles down on the two, who ran in different directions at just the same time. The first to be spotted was Grissom, whom was now the aquatic beast's target. Dashing at full-speed, the black blur frantically looked around for one food in particular; his favorite vegetable, even better than fruit to the odd little dinosaur.

"Yucky, not pineapples!" He exclaimed, turning his head to the fruit stand on his left. To his surprise, he only caught a glimmer of its current produce stock, as the stand was victim to a ferocious tentacle-slam only moments later. "And apparently not bananas, either …"

Meanwhile, Dove was scaling the bell-tower on the far left side of the plaza. Reaching the top, he pulled his pride and joy off his back, and as he screwed his face up into a look of concentration, he pulled back his mighty axe, and gave the bell a great, big whack with it.

_KLAAAAAAANG!_

Needless to say, this had served its purpose in distracting the blooper, who seemed to flinch before whirling around to the now-taunting Yoshi.

"Yoo-hoo! Over here, fish-face!" Dove mocked, watching his brother out of the corner of his eye. With great anger, Big Blooper stormed toward the bell tower, determined to take this ignorant punk of an opponent down. But … what was that _other_ Yoshi doing up there now … ?

"Time for a good ol' fashioned fish fry!" Grissom exclaimed, exhaling a burst of flames; he had managed to finally locate a chili pepper mere moments before.

"And time for the grand finale!" Sticking his prized guitar into the blaze for a moment, Dove leaped toward the massive blooper, ready to attack at just the right moment …

_BAM! SLAM! WHAM! _**(HIT x3)**

**( END BATTLE!)**

Landing nicely on the ground with a soft _thump_, Grissom grinned, looking at the now-knocked out mass of sea-creature known as Big Blooper. A mere second later, Dove dropped down next to him, guitar in hand.

"Never mess with the Dove-inator, fish-face."

**( WINNERS: DOVE AND GRISSOM!)**

---------------------

**( _Somewhere far, far away … _ )**

Darci couldn't believe all that was happening – and so fast. Here, she thought it would take ages and ages for her 'heroes' to save her – but apparently, she was wrong. It had been just that morning, in fact, that their mysterious captor had given them his daily update; yet this time, he wasn't playing his usual game. This time, all three of them could tell he was growing quite angry about the situation.

Had it not been for his little visit, in fact, Darci would not have had all these questions pre-occupying her mind. For instance, she was now wondering what, exactly, these 'Eight Powers' were that he kept rambling on about, and why it was so upsetting that her soon-to-be rescuers had managed to obtain one. And then, of course, that _other_ question kept popping up in her mind: What had he meant when he had said that he'd be 'taking care of them soon enough'? Of course she knew what it _meant_, but it was more the aspect of _how_ he was planning on doing it.

That was when she heard it. A faint mumbling, coming from above her. Straining her ears to listen, she shifted her gaze upwards towards the ceiling, only to spot a small crack in it. It must have been new; before now, whenever she sat here and pondered, that had never caught her attention.

" … and now that we know their location, it shouldn't provide much of a challenge for you to wipe them out, Boomarius, now should it?" Darci recognized that voice right off the bat; it was _him_. Then came a second, presumably belonging to this Boomarius fellow.

"Ah, yes, Sir, it most certainly shouldn't. Shall I head toward the Isle tonight?" They had to be talking about the threesome; or seven-some; or whatever it had become. Darci gathered that the second of the speakers was intending to 'take care of them'.

"Yes, you should. In fact, I believe that I'd told you to leave as soon as I was finished instructing you, am I correct?" The villainous mastermind sounded quite irritated with his underling.

"I-I'm assuming that means we're –"

"YES! WE ARE FINISHED, YOU DOLT!" Darci suppressed a giggle – this wasn't really funny, but compared to the tension that had filled the cell before now, it certainly wasn't _not_ funny.

The voices had stopped, and so, Darci had stopped attempting to listen. She had heard quite enough for now; she knew what his next attack was. And all she could do now was hope that her 'knights in shining armor' could counter it.

-------------------

**Author's Note:**

Chapter Four is finally complete, and so I must apologize for the long wait between chapters. I'm afraid I'm going on a family vacation soon for a week (maybe two … I'm not sure yet … ), so the next chapter may be a bit delayed, as well. As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it so far – and sorry for the lack of action in this chapter. Adieu for now!


	5. 5: Trouble in Paradise

**Author's Note:** WHEW! This is a long one, but everything in here was written for a reason.

When I began writing this, it was 12:50 AM on my first day back from vacation, July 21. I realize that it's now already September. In other words, I'm sorry that all the chapters are continually delayed! I would once again like to give a word of thanks to all my uber-patient reviewers! Your reviews truly do keep me writing this, no lie, because while I love thinking these things up and writing them down, it's not worth it without the knowledge that at least SOMEBODY is getting enjoyment out of it besides the author. In reply to _Bringer of Good Cheer's_ comment on the worrisome growth of Waluigi's companion count, there's no need to worry. There won't be any more additions besides the one in this chapter, plus two of them aren't really permanent companions. After all, it was hard enough to handle 7 of them – I'm not about to up the difficulty level! And in reply to _Sasukechiha180's_ mention of Waluigi being the older of the two brothers, I have heard that before. I'm not really sure which is the true theory, so I'll have to keep it as is. Lastly, if you have any ideas, suggestions, or whatever for the story, PLEASE inform me of them in your review! I absolutely LOVE to hear your ideas. And I promise to at the very least take them into consideration – and if I like 'em, I'll use them in the story, giving credit to you in the Author's Note before the chapter starts!

As for the plot-related news, the setting of the chapter is from Super Mario Sunshine, on Isle Delphino. Now, while I'm pretty sure it's called Sirena Beach, I'd be VERY grateful if you correct me on this if it's wrong. It's been awhile since I whipped that game out and played it, and I just looked on line for the name – so I'm not all that sure. In the character development department, the origins of our dear friend the Count become slightly less murky, as well as his intentions; A friendly Pianta who works as a janitor at the hotel joins the group while two former allies leave it, and much more that I won't spoil for you!

So, without further ado, read on my friends!

**-----------------------**

**Chapter Five: Trouble in Paradise**

**-----------------------**

**( _Somewhere far, far away …_ )**

"Whoa whoa whoa, Darci! There's no reason to be having those sorts of thoughts – I'm sure that there's plenty of guys out there who drool over you daily!" Daisy's exclamation had certainly fully woken up the groggy Darci, who had just realized what she had confided in her newfound friend. Cocking her head to one side slightly, the Eclipso Kingdom's princess took a moment to gather the right words to express her reaction to this.

"What, is there something wrong with my feelings for Waluigi?" She asked sternly, gazing in a mock-dreamy sort of way toward the brunette in front of her, who gave a loud snort of laughter in reply.

"Feelings? Darci, you've only seen a picture of him! _How_ in the world does that twisted, depressing, sorry excuse for a man turn you on?" This caused Darci to become slightly taken aback, revolted by Daisy's immediate veto of the mere thought. She knew she was being a tad bit irrational and jumping to conclusions, but for the first time in her life, she'd caught a glimpse of a man who was different from all the others she'd seen. Granted, her father was constantly trying to introduce her to princes from other lands, trying to find her a husband by his standards instead of hers – that would probably explain why she was so turned on by a guy who didn't go out of his way to be charming or anything like that.

"Fine then, since you know him better, describe him in your own words. But don't try to play him down. And give specific examples." All she got in reply at first was a gawk of disbelief.

"What is this, an essay assignment?" But all the prompting Daisy needed was a stern, sharp glare from her friend to urge her on. "Oh fine, if you insist on it." With a slight groan, she began her rant. "Okay, first, I'll start with the basics. You know that fat guy in yellow and purple who was with him? That's his older brother. In the Mushroom Kingdom, they've gained quite a reputation as rude, selfish, childish troublemakers. Of course, in a lot of ways, their personalities contrast as well, making it even more annoying when they start bickering in public. Now, focusing in on your little … " She paused here with an expression of disgust before continuing. " … crush, so to speak. He's a bit of a weirdo, though he claims it to possess a 'unique flair that I should find refreshing after being surrounded by a wimpy, sappy hero-wannabe'. As if! Oh, and that's another thing: He and Luigi are rivals. The sense of loathing is mutual, but at least my Weegie is subtle about it!" Darci had to strive to suppress her snickering as Daisy shifted into using her nickname for Luigi. "Waluigi seems to have a constant biting hostility in his voice whenever he speaks to or about Weegie, which is, like, TOTTALLY unnecessary! He's the one who's constantly teasing, tricking or trying to embarrass poor Weegie. Oh, AND he's got a terrible ego, especially when it comes to his athletic abilities." Darci couldn't suppress a smirk when she heard Daisy add to this in a lower tone before continuing. "Even if he may have the skills to match up to his constant boasting. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. As for his overall personality, he's sarcastic, cynical and blunt. That is, of course, unless he wants to be subtle, smooth or deceiving. Which brings up the fact that he's sneaky, tricky, and has the wits to make him a constant threat. The thing is, he hasn't pulled anything too TOO big yet, which, personally, has me spooked. And he seems to sulk and brood whenever he's not bragging, boasting or scheming. Add onto that the fact that I've gathered that he's fairly fond of piranha plants, and you've got yourself a thoroughbred creep! But we can't forget the icing on the cake: he's actually, overall, managed to keep himself shrouded in a sort of eerie mystery. Much unlike his in-your-face brother, he's smart enough to keep any _real_ information about himself hidden." She paused for a short moment, before adding in a low, mock-mysterious tone, "In fact, I, personally, suspect him to have underhand connections with Bowser."

"Oh, c'mon! That theory is TOTTALLY unsupported! He sounds like the type that would run like heck from any sign of danger, as long as it'll keep him alive!" Darci exclaimed with a fairly amused laugh.

"… Ok, fine, I made that last part up." Daisy admitted, blushing slightly.

"If you ask me, he sounds like an interesting guy. By the way, keep in mind that I'm taking your seeming prejudice against him into account. I think that there just isn't anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom who appreciates an oddball." The blissful, cheery state of mind that had taken over Darci convinced Daisy not to argue, counting it as a small compensation for her utter disregard to the value of Daisy's opinion about the man. If it made her happy to keep that conclusion in mind, it wasn't Daisy's place to argue at that point.

**-------------------------------**

**( _Isle Delphino – Sirena Beach Hotel_ )**

Sunlight trickled into Room 13 of the ever-ritzy Sirena Beach Hotel through the clear, clean window, dancing playfully across the large, snoring, slumbering lump that lay curled up in the middle of the bed, completely covered by the standard silky soft sheets that was put on each bed in the expensive hotel. To the left, however, the second bed was empty, though the sheets were messy and rumpled, revealing that its occupant had already woken up for some reason or another. Judging by the time shown on the clock that rested on the well-polished cherry-wood nightstand between the two beds, they hadn't been planning on the early awakening. What other reason could a person have for waking up before 4:35 AM?

Sighing heavily, Waluigi gazed into the gorgeous sunrise spread out on the horizon before him, the tide washing in and out lazily at his feet. Something was troubling him, something that didn't seem to want to go away or be shoved aside. And truth be told, its persistence was really beginning to annoy him. He absolutely hated it when thoughts or questions wouldn't leave his mind, causing him to merely stare off into nothingness for a long while and ponder the thought, examine the inquiry, search for that ever-elusive answer. Then again, maybe it was the mere aspect that he was stooping down to the level of going on a wild goose chase for a beautiful princess that he really didn't know. _That_ irked him to no end.

The sheer number of questions clouding up his mind made him sick. '_What if she's snob?'_ He thought sourly. '_What if she's a complete ditz? Or worse, she's like Peach? What if she won't shut up?'_ This last question sent a chill down his spine. He already put up with enough mindless blabbering from Wario, he didn't need it from some clueless girl. '_What if she's a stiff, anal control-freak? Or what if she likes towering, muscle-bound men?_' The string of questions finally came to a pause. Part of him was caught off guard at this sudden switch of perspective. But before he knew it, another tide of irrational worries flooded his mind. '_What if she finds me boring? Or rude? Or weird? Or cold-hearted, or … or … -_' And then, it dawned on him at last. '_What if she hates me?_'

This thought fell on him like a ton of bricks. He hadn't had a problem with self-confidence before, he'd always viewed himself as too different from the stereotypical hero-type that every girl seemed to dream about for any dame to completely understand. But this time, he honestly felt inferior, feeling as if his ego had taken a fatal hit. _He was doubting himself!_ The shock of this hit him even harder than the thought itself, instilling a pang of doubt in him.

"Well, this is certainly surprising." Waluigi's train of thought shattered, causing him to let go of the disturbing thought that had just occurred to him. He jumped slightly and quickly spun around to see who had discovered his pathetic state of mind. "Most people who come here are never up this early, not to mention that they're usually somewhat pompous and overly wealthy." Not sure whether to take this as a compliment or insult, the lanky man merely stared expressionless at the scruffy Pianta in front of him. He appeared to be quite muscular and around 40 or so, making his physical condition all the more impressive. In fact, the only thing that made him seem laid-back and light-hearted was that, like all Piantas, his skin was an odd, bright sort of color – and he just happened to be a light shade of pink. His loose, button-down shirt was wrinkled and the sleeves were torn off, his jean shorts giving him the look of somebody who had just been stranded on an island. Even the straps of his sandals were slightly frayed. And in his hand was a broom, giving away the fact that he was a janitor at the hotel.

"Dare I ask why, exactly, you felt the need to attempt flattery? Note the word 'attempt'." Waluigi snapped coolly, causing the janitor to raise a brow.

"Touchy, aren't we?" The Pianta teased, not bothering to get up and leave the man alone despite the cynical greeting. "The name's Piantico." For a moment, the two merely looked at each other, each one already harboring a first impression of each other. Finally, Piantico got a response to his introduction.

"I'm not sure what gave you the idea that I was in the mood to meet new people," Waluigi sneered sarcastically, amused by the janitor's confidence. "but I suppose I could play along. I'm –"

"Waluigi, in Room 13 on floor 3 and did you know that your brother's a slob?" The words seemed to flow into each other, despite the unexpected last half of the statement. One thing that Waluigi had picked up on about the guy was that if it weren't for his sickeningly bright attitude, somebody'd probably have beaten him to a pulp by now. "See, being a janitor gives you a lot of opportunity to gather information about people."

"Oh, so tell me then, _Mr. Information_, why did you feel compelled to speak to me if you already know everything about me? Hm?" Waluigi was surprised to find himself speaking in a tone that, while teasing, was somewhat friendly. There was something about Piantico that he liked, though he honestly couldn't figure it out.

"Because, believe it or not, you and your slew of buddies have proved to be a refreshing break from the rude, snobby jerks that this place seems to attract."

"Your information-seeking skills may not be as up to par as you think they are if that's what you've gathered about the others who came here with me."

Piantico couldn't suppress a grin. "Well, that and the fact that if I didn't get off the deck in front of the entrance soon, my boss would've seen me and felt the need to come up with more work for me to do." This caused Waluigi to let slip the faint trace of a smirk.

"Oh, so you're a slacker, eh?" He questioned, receiving a glance from Piantico.

"Hey hey, I prefer the term 'highly qualified break-finder'."

"Oh. I see. Because that's so much more dignified and respectable."

"Exactly, now you're catching on." Either Piantico hadn't heard the snide underlying tone in the man's voice, or he had chosen to ignore it. "So, what exactly are you and your pals all here for? I mean, you're quite a … diverse bunch. Plus, my boss kept raving on and on about that Mario guy, saying he solved a ghost problem they had here a while before I was hired."

"First of all, 'pals' is a word that isn't even close to appropriate here. Secondly, we've got a similar goal." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, except Dove and Grissom, the two Yoshis. They were just really annoying until we let them tag along."

Piantico laughed. "And what is that goal, exactly? Would it happen to involve a certain …" He paused mid-sentence, taking out a what appeared to be a small journal of some kind, slightly tattered and … was that a bright green cover on it? Piantico opened it, flipping to a page with grin, mischief in his eyes. "… Princess Daisy, divine beauty of Sarasaland, would it?"

"Oh, so this is your little 'information-gathering method', isn't it?" Waluigi sneered.

"It's not my fault that it was in the trash can. It's my duty to collect the trash. It isn't in my contract what I do with the trash once I've collected it."

"Would you happen to know how, exactly, it got in the trash in the first place?"

"That's classified information that I'm not authorized to reveal."

"I like your style, Piantico. Now hand it over, I've suddenly thought of a few things I've been meaning to blackmail Luigi about." Before the words were even out of his mouth, Waluigi snatched the journal from out of the Pianta's hands and open it to a random page. He scowled slightly, reading the words written in familiar handwriting he recognized as that of his 'old pal'. Waluigi noticed that his sudden change of expression had caused the janitor to raise a brow questioningly.

"What's the problem?" Piantico inquired, peering over his shoulder and reading the text aloud. " 'Oh, my sweetest buttercup, how your lovely luscious locks of brunette catch my attention in the shimmering light of the sun! Your sparkling eyes of the deepest, most precious sapphire put a spark in my soul, your dazzling smile gives me the momentum to move! When you whisper sweet nothings into my ear, no matter the words you speak, my heart skips a beat. You give my life a new meaning, putting everything else at a stand still. When I see you in a crowd, time stops, and yet it seems you're gone before I've had enough. Oh, my delicate, sugar-sweet –"

"That's enough!" Waluigi snarled, slamming the journal shut and stuffing it into his pocket. Piantico gave a sly grin.

"Oh? Is that a biting sense of hostility I hear in your voice?"

"No, I love the man to death." Waluigi drawled sarcastically, his voice cold and sharp.

"… You haven't written any pathetic poems like this one, have –"

"Shaddup, ya old geezer! Drop the subject!" Instead of taking offense at this, Piantico merely smiled smugly and snickered silently to himself, finding Waluigi's intensity about the subject highly amusing. Nevertheless, however, he did drop it and leave it be.

The remainder of the early morning was spent conversing and becoming better acquainted with each other, something that Waluigi usually tried to avoid; but due to being caught off guard this time, avoiding it was truly impossible. And so, there conversing was brought to an abrupt end only when a shriek was heard from inside the hotel some time later.

Whipping around, Waluigi merely stared at the building for a moment before getting back to his feet and letting out a heavy sigh. "Duty calls, I suppose."

Piantico gave his newfound acquaintance (he dared not go as far as to assume that he was considered a friend in Waluigi's book) a bright smile of encouragement, before speaking. "I'm sure this is a wonderful start to a promisingly crazy day, eh? Well, when duty calls, I'm afraid I can't stand by idly and watch people not answer. Get movin'!"

And so, the two headed toward the building at a brisk jog, considering it to still be too early to justify running.

------------------

"Ooooh, that ear-piercing, horrid shrieking of you pathetic mortals! Give me a break, I've been traveling since yesterday afternoon!" It was too early for this. Much, much too early. The fact of the matter was, Boomarius found the whole 'scared-out-of-their-mind-damsel' routine tiresome nowadays, therefore forcing him to form a hostile sort of grudge against the receptionist from the very start. Add on top of that that she was now attempting to ward him off by throwing various items on her desk at him, and he could honestly say that if he were given the chance, he'd be more than willing to burn the woman alive. It was the last straw, however, when she snatched up the stapler and began trying to intimidate him with it by swooshing it around in front of him as if it were a frightening sword of some kind.

"BACK BEAST! BACK! BE GONE! SCRAM! POOF! DON'T MAKE ME TELL MY DADDY ON YOU!" This last comment obviously had no real backing to it whatsoever, but the fact that her voice was a shriek at this point was a dead give away that she didn't even realize the words that were coming out.

Without warning, a sudden jolt of lightening zoomed past the lady Pianta's head with a loud, resounding _CRACK!_, missing her by mere inches. The aquamarine specter in front of her was breathing in and out quite hard, not because he was tired, but because it was all he could do to control his frustration. Ironically, it was then that the real trouble started, as the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the upper level and storming downward met his ears.

"There he is! That's the ghost!" Boomarius didn't even need to look at the speaker to figure their identity. The hotel manager must have brought help of some kind – help that, once again, the specter could recognize as soon as they spoke.

"Ok, Sir. We'll take care of the ghoul in no time." Mario confirmed.

"It'll be no problem, Mister." Luigi chimed in, controlling his fear.

Boomarius whipped around at last, narrowing his eyes into a glare, his mouth curling into a fearfully twisted grin. "Well well well, what do we have here? The Mario Brothers, eh?" He unleashed a wild cackle, floating up to them. "It's a shame that you two aren't the ones I'm after, otherwise I'd be entitled to the enjoyable task of ripping you limb from limb. However, I suppose I _could_ have a bit of fun with you … "

At that precise moment, the door slammed open and in came Waluigi, closely followed by Piantico. Skidding to a halt, the purple-clad trickster whipped his hammer from over his shoulder, preparing to bash the aquamarine boo to smithereens. Just as he was about to speak, however, his eyes landed on Mario and Luigi, who were gawking at him in surprise, causing him to immediately return the stare.

This awkward silence went unbroken until, finally, somebody spoke. But this time, it was Boocifer, who had just floated down from the third floor after spotting the commotion from above – and he sounded quite shocked.

"Boomarius?" The more familiar of the two specters stuttered, floating toward him with all haste. "B-but … but what are _you_ doing h-here?"

The second of the ghouls gave a cold, cruel cackle. "Simple. The Count figured that you'd lost sight of the goal we had in mind, and decided that you needed a little … _help_, so to say."

Boocifer felt himself freeze up, every inch of his being. He needn't even look toward Waluigi to know that he was receiving quite possibly one of the most spiteful glares he'd ever received, from _anyone_.

"You little traitor!" Waluigi spat, fists shaking. "So that's it, is it? You've been on the enemy's side this entire time, that clueless act – that false reason you gave us –" Before he could finish his statement, however, Boomarius cut him off.

"No no no, not completely, actually. Firstly, that clueless persona wasn't an 'act', and secondly, he changed his mind right after you three had crushed those moronic Shadow Sirens." The utter loathing and raw hatred had shifted from Waluigi to Boomarius as soon as the words left the aquamarine specter's mouth. Boocifer looked over toward his ally nervously, but with a shock, found that he was no longer boiling with rage. Instead, he seemed a bit shocked, surprised at what he had heard.

Taking this moment to his advantage, Boomarius suddenly flew high into the air, and let out a shriek of laughter. "No matter! Let's see if you can handle some of the Count's higher-ranked troopers, hmmm? Boys, get 'em!"

----------------

**(MINI-BOSS BATTLE TIME)**

**(COUNT RAHMET'S TOP TROOPER x2: HP 2)**

**(GO!)**

From the ceiling shot two red blurs, stopping instantly on the ground floor of the hotel and shooting out two odd blasts of … something … each. Diving to the right, Luigi managed to avoid the odd material, hearing it hit the wall with a loud _SPLAT!_ Shaking off the sudden jolt of fear that had run down his spine, he leapt to his feet and looked around to see if anyone else had avoided the bizarre blasts. And to his horror, only one person seemed to have quick enough reflexes, high enough speed, and the astounding agility needed to avoid these strange attacks that had been sent at them: Waluigi.

It was no use; he would have to fight alongside his worst enemy, whether he was ready to accept that challenge or not. It seemed that Mario and Boocifer had been hit; they were now lying on the floor, wriggling about in what appeared to be some sort of sticky black goo that had the correct chemical make-up to bind someone together in the spots it had hit. _He was going to have to cooperate with him; _that would be the real battle

Of course, Waluigi wasn't exactly too chipper about this realization either. In front of him stood a slightly quivering man he had always deemed pathetic, hopeless and weak. And now, he was going to have to _fight along side him?_ Which brought up a question in his mind: did that quivering coward even know _how_ to fight?

A sudden jolt of pain surged through his back as the first of the troopers took a jab at him with a heavy, iron rod, presumably his weapon of choice. "Thou darest face the wrath of I, Booker the Bloody?" Whipping his head around to face the enemy, Waluigi now got a good look at what, exactly, these troopers were. Clad in a large, black, steel helmet and shoulder pads and toting a presumably heavy iron rod for bashing people with (as he had learned mere moments ago), they were red boos suited up for battle. And apparently, at least this one had some weird medieval-times accent.

"Booker the Bloody?" Waluigi muttered bemusedly, fumbling for his hammer as he spoke.

Meanwhile, Luigi found himself face to face with one end of the other trooper's 'bashing rod', nimbly dodging the attacks thrown toward him with a yelp hear and there.

"Thou art truly a man of speed, I see. But can you throw a punch, my foolish foe? You simply cannot best I, Bootch the Abominable, by speed alone!"

"Let's see about that." Luigi retorted bravely with a grin, feeling a sudden jolt of confidence rise out of seemingly nowhere inside himself.

"Booker, methinks that this one may be a bit on the cocky side!" Bootch exclaimed with a hardy laugh, as his fellow trooper joined in himself. However, he had let his guard down too soon, as his laughter was quickly brought to an end by a hard hit to the face from his foe, who had finally gotten back to his feet, hammer in hand. **(HIT!)**

"That runt? Psh, I'm the one you should be worried about." Waluigi grinned, realizing that the sharp glare he received from his opponent signaled that 'Booker the Bloody' was ready for a _real_ fight.

_'As egotistical as usual, I see.'_ Luigi thought exasperantly. _'Well, I can fight these baddies off too, whether he realizes it or not!'_ With a sudden surge of confidence, Luigi's hands lit up in green flames, sparking and crackling as if they were a wild beast, which had been unwillingly tamed.

"Whoa whoa now, be ye possessing more power than meets thine own eye?" Bootch exclaimed with a gasp, and in a flurry of flames, his question was quickly answered. **(HIT!)**

Meanwhile, Booker and Waluigi continued to immerse themselves in a fierce battle, dodging each other's hits at each and every turn.

"Your fire-wielding fellow has skill, it seems, doth it not?" Booker questioned with a slight hint of admiration in his voice. Waluigi couldn't suppress a snort of laughter.

"Call it whatever you want, but I don't think that would be considered the technical term for it. Extreme luck, perhaps."

"Oh? Well then, if thou shalt brag, then bringeth it on!" Without another word, the two set to rapid jabs and hastened stabs, even more quickly than before. It wasn't until Booker landed a blow on Waluigi, straight to the face, however, that he could finally live up to his boasting.

Anger surged from his body through the elongated handle of his hammer, sparking within it like a mighty fire, and suddenly becoming unleashed upon the surface of the hammerhead, as deep purple flames engulfed the weapon.

Staring in awe at what had happened so suddenly, Booker had no time to dodge the impact of the blow that his foe countered with, receiving a blast of flames full-on. **(HIT!) (BOOKER THE BLOODY K.O.ED!)**

"Ask, and thou shalt receiveth." Waluigi remarked snidely, as the flames cooled down alongside his rage.

"Now who's doing the dodging?" Luigi inquired with a smug grin, tossing flames toward the trooper with elite speed. It was a sudden and most certainly unexpected turn of events, as Bootch flung himself about the room in great haste to avoid the flickering spouts of fire.

"Can we not merely talk it out? Like civilized men?" Bootch asked sheepishly, growing tired.

"Changed your tune, I see." Luigi chuckled, charging up a blast of snarling green embers in his palms. "Well it's a little too late for that, Mr. 'Abominable'!"

Bootch came face to face with a rush of scorching hot flames, roaring as they flashed against him, and it suddenly went black for the ghoulish trooper. **(HIT!) (BOOTCH THE ABOMINABLE K.O.ED!)**

"I'm lean, I'm green, and I CAN BE a fighting machine!" Luigi exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air as the flames faded from sight.

**(END BATTLE!)**

**(WINNERS: LUIGI AND WALUIGI!)**

--------------------

The two troopers suddenly sprung from the floor, flying high into the air and through the ceiling with a shriek, shortly followed by Boomarius – but only after he had given the two unlikely comrades a threatening word of warning.

"Mark my words, the Count _WILL_ get his way; he _ALWAYS_ does! You'd be fools to think that you can even _attempt_ overcome Count Rahmet himself without the penalty of death!" With these bitter words, the aquamarine boo shot through the ceiling at an amazing speed. However, his loud cackling fits that accompanied his departure went unnoticed, as the two unlikely allies were currently looking at each other with slight confusion. It was almost as if they were having second thoughts about each other … Now that the two thought about it, maybe they had been a bit stubborn and stupid about it all …

"Well, would you look at that! Maybe you aren't a _complete_ sissy after all, Shorty!" Waluigi exclaimed with a too-friendly-to-be-real smile, before leaning down to add in a snide, unnecessary remark. "Congratulations, you've been promoted from the position of 'finicky sissy' to 'fumbling softie'. Keep it up, and one day, you might actually blossom into a mildly-fidgety nitwit!"

… Or not.

"Hey! I think I just proved myself otherwise a second ago!" Luigi countered, sounding quite taken-aback.

At this point, it's safe to guess that you, the reader, have a clear idea that what followed was a long, pointless argument between the two old rivals, both of which remaining completely oblivious to what was going on around them. Piantico had taken this moment to scurry over to the others and see if he could get them out of the sticky black goo that had bound them. By the time Mario and Boocifer were unbound, however, the two _still_ hadn't given up on their useless quarreling.

"Oh, great – they could go at it for the rest of the day." Boocifer muttered with a heavy sigh, as Mario gave a small shake of his head as a sign of agreement. Piantico, however, took this moment to introduce himself properly.

"You must be that guy that my boss was going on and on about, the one who took care of the ghost problem they had here awhile back." Piantico interjected, giving a friendly smile, and receiving one in return from the portly red-clad plumber, as well as a nod of confirmation.

"Uh-huh, that's me alright. You work here?"

"Yep, I'm just a janitor, though." Turning to face the pale-green ghoul, he instantly recognized this as the 'sickeningly optimistic boo' that Waluigi had mentioned before. "And you must be Boocifer, am I right?"

"Yes indeedy-doo!" The oddly tinted boo exclaimed with a burst of cheer. "Howd'ya know about me, though?"

"Simple." Piantico said with the faint trace of a smug smirk. "I'm a janitor."

-------------------------

As the clock rang out with a chorus of chimes indicating that the day had crept into its 15th hour, the sun burning bright at the prime of the day, things had finally picked up speed around the rest of the hotel. As a break from the hub-bub of being heroes, all seven had agreed to spend the rest of the day in town. Now, note that in this _particular_ context, the word 'agreed' is code for the Mario Brothers being convinced via 'special tactical persuasion' by their rivals to 'let the princesses whine their royal heads off for awhile and take a load off'. Helping back up their argument was an ever-helpful Piantico casually waving about a certain green journal behind the 'wicked duo' and silently mouthing the words 'Want this mysteriously appearing on the internet?' to its owner. All that aside, the seven-some (plus a newfound alliance) were now relaxing on the sunny coastal shores of Delphino Beach, letting all their worries float away with the ocean's tide as it sloshed in and out slowly and lazily.

"Blooper ka-bobs, anybody? We just cooked 'em up, like, all fresh-like an' stuff!" A beaming Dove and Grissom strode proudly towards the two small, circular tables, sitting side-by-side on the ledge near the steps which led down to the shore, bearing a tray each of one of the most exotic-looking dish you could ever imagine. The word 'exotic' used here is the polite way of saying 'utterly revolting'.

The occupants of the four chairs seated around the each of tables (minus two; since Dove and Grissom weren't seated yet) tried to hide their disgust in their own … er … _unique_ ways. At the table to the right, Mario merely gave a trembling smile (it was hard to keep it straight with that awful stench filling the air) and a slow, unconvincing nod; Boocifer quickly began brushing off his abnormally large tongue with his stubby little hands at the mere thought of how it would taste; and Piantico successfully stifled a guffaw as Luigi made a mad-dash for the trash can, which was followed by revolting noises that implied what the horrid dish had prompted from the younger of the Mario Brothers. Meanwhile, at the table to the right, Wario didn't even bother to hide his disgust as he gagged slightly, recoiling at the sight (Or maybe it was the stench) and exclaiming, "Ewww, I think it just moved!" Reinforcing the reputation as 'grown men possessing adolescent mentalities' that the brothers had gained, Waluigi was laughing hysterically at Luigi's unfortunate nausea, to the point of almost falling out of his chair. It seemed that the green-clad Plumber's misfortune had pleased him too much to pay any heed to what had caused it.

The two reptilian rockers looked back and forth from one table to the other, then the first again, then the second, until finally looking at each other with utter confusion.

"Er, Dove? Grissom? What exactly _is_ that … um … stuff?" Mario asked as politely as he could, but the effort was in vain. After Wario's outburst, the portly plumber was beginning to think that the odd entrée _may_ have been twitching around a bit after all …

"Blooper Ka-bobs, dude, we just told you!" Dove exclaimed, rolling his eyes and heaving one of the most over-exaggerated sighs imaginable.

"Made with, like, _real fresh blooper meat, and stuff!_" Grissom beamed, looking quite proud of himself. "Roasted by yours truly, via chili-pepper power!"

Suddenly, all fell silent. Even Luigi, who had just took his seat back at the table, stared at the two yoshi brothers, who merely stared back as if to ask, '_Whaaaaat?_ What did we do now?'

The awkward silence was broken by Boocifer's voice at last. "Grissom … what do you mean, 'real, fresh blooper mea – Ooooh no, you don't mean - ?"

"That big, cranky blooper dude from yesterday was going to go to waste if we didn't take a tentacle end, or, like, maybe two or three for ourselves, right? So, like, we were all like, 'DUUUDE! I'VE GOT THIS UBER-NEATO EXTRA-COOLIO IDEA, DUDE!'" At this point, everyone – save for Piantico – had grasped a rough understanding of the way the dino duo spoke; however, that didn't make it any less amusing to watch.

"So, like, we thought we could, like, make you all our specialty dish. An' stuff. You know, 'cuz we thought you dudes would, like, appreciate the radical sensation of our AWSOME cooking on your taste buds, right?" Grissom finished his brother's explanation with a hopeful yet nervous smile, looking over the others in search of a sign of … _something_. Something other than disgust or uneasiness.

"… And _what the heck_ do you mean by … oh, you don't mean - ?" The fight from the day before flashed by in the back of Waluigi's head, recalling the missing piece required to figure out what, exactly, the black yoshi had meant by 'chili-pepper power'.

"What's up with the gnarly expression, dude?" Grissom questioned, tilting his head to one side as if this would help clear up as to why, exactly, Waluigi's face had twisted into a luck of utter disgust. Frowning, the monochromatic reptile added, "Aw, you're not thinkin' about that gnarly – er, in the good sense here – trick I pulled yesterday, are ya? With the chili pepper? It's real simple, ya kno-"

"Did you or did you not use it to roast … er … uh … well, these?" As he spoke, he thrust an accusing finger in the direction of the rather undesirable looking dish which the yoshis had prepared. A small nod from Grissom was all it took for the others to all let out a groan, some of which taking it worse than others.

It was an hour or so later, after the group had all had their fill of 'blooper ka-bobs' (Most of the time was spent figuring out how to dispose of it without hurting Dove and Grissom's feelings _too_ much), that Wario and Waluigi finally found a convenient time to slip away from the rest of the group, having had almost no time to discuss 'business' since that morning.

"You're pathetic, ya know. How on EARTH did you sleep until 2:00 in the afternoon?" Waluigi exclaimed, as they both strode down Delphino Square.

"Simple." Wario answered, shrugging and snatching up a banana from one of the fruit stands they passed by. "I was having a good dream."

Ignoring the angry yelling of the lady Pianta who owned the fruit stand, Waluigi replied silently, by merely rolling his eyes. However, Wario immediately took notice of this.

"Look, lover-boy, just because –"

"_Lover-boy?_" Silence reigned for a few moments, the two having come to a stand-still. Wario could see that his brother was resisting the urge to strangle him by the burning gleam of rage, however small, in his eyes. Despite this, he went on to explain his case with a sly grin.

"You heard me right. You've fallen head-over-heels for a woman you haven't even met." Pausing for a moment, a mischievous twinkle ignited in his eyes. "Of course, I can't blame you one bit."

"Back off, you've got Mona." Waluigi snarled in reply. "As to how, I'll never know." Catching himself, he 'fixed' this statement before Wario could open his mouth to retaliate. "B-but that's not the point, right? It's not _how_ you get a girl that counts, it's that you got her, right?"

Surveying his taller, lankier brother's nervous smile for a moment, Wario debated whether or not to except his sorry attempt, deciding in the end to go with the former, as he gave Waluigi a hard (no matter how well-intentioned) slap on the back, causing him to almost choke at the sudden impact.

"Now you're making sense!" The stouter of the two exclaimed with a hardy laugh. "Now then, how exactly are you planning on getting the girl, eh?"

But before Waluigi could reply, a cold, sinister voice answered for him. From the sound of it, it was coming from behind him … _right_ behind him.

"Simple, you bumbling oaf. He's not." Spinning around to see who had intruded so rudely on their conversation, Waluigi met eyes with a sight that sent a jolt down his spine, his jaw quivering slightly, unable to form any actual words. It wasn't … no, it couldn't be … _was he looking at himself?_

"Wh-who are you!" He exclaimed, jumping back slightly while keeping his eyes practically glued on his double, who merely cracked a grin and chuckled.

"You mean to say that you don't remember me?" The figure questioned, beginning to walk slowly toward Waluigi. In response, the purple-clad trickster took one step back for each and every one that the man in front of him took forward. "Oh, my my my. Waluigi, my dear boy, we've known each other for _quite_ a long time. Yes, one might even say you've known me you're _entire life_!"

His hands began quivering, his eyes widening as he spoke. This was beyond creepy, beyond unnatural … and on top of it all, he finally realized that everything around them had stopped. The water that flowed from the fountain now remained still, the lady Pianta who had been yelling at them moments before was frozen mid-yell … _everybody_ was frozen, every_thing_ was frozen, even Wario. _He was trapped with this creep_.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Waluigi exclaimed at long last, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"On the other hand, I wasn't really … _'born',_ so to say, until you were about 5 or so. That was it, wasn't it? Yes, yes, that must have been it."

"_I asked you a question, now answer it!"_

"Patience, patience. I _am_ answering it. Now then, where was I?" Stroking his chin as if in deep thought, the figure finally continued after a few moments of this. "Ah, yes. As I was saying … I know everything you've ever done, every thing you've ever thought of doing, every thing you've ever dreamed of from that point until now. Without me, you're just another one of them. And without you, well …" He chuckled, smirking out of the corner of his mouth. "… I'm afraid I'd just become a shadow in the midst of the darkness."

Rolling his eyes, Waluigi placed a hand on his head. All of this was confusing, not to mention quite peculiar. "Alright, save the dramatics, will you? Just tell me what on earth you are. And don't go on and on about it for hours like you seem to be planning on doing."

With a small shrug, the figure suddenly leapt into the air, landing less than an inch away from his 'double'. "Don't you get it, Waluigi? _I'm_ what makes you who you are, _I'm_ that little voice in your head, the one who knows just how much of a no-good, annoying, irritating prissy Luigi is, _I'm_ that part of you that nurtures every single inclination, thought, and act of hatred and spite that you have or do! I'm your dark side, Waluigi …_ I'm Count Rahmet!"_

It was beyond belief. Yes, it couldn't be reality … it just … couldn't. His body became still, staring wide-eyed at the sinister … well, make that _more_ sinister looking version of himself who stood not even a foot away, searching for some reaction to the announcement. He'd heard of Shadow Mario, yes, but not even this was the same ordeal – that wasn't a case of Mario being separated from his 'other side'. Come to think of it, he had no idea how this could happen.

"Wait … if you're – then – but – _Why_ _are_ _you trying to_ _kill me if I'm where you came from?"_ The Count gave a snicker. There was a gleaming in his eyes, something that looked dangerously twisted, indicating just how far the man was willing to go to achieve his goal, whatever it may be. And as Waluigi stared into his other half's eyes, a jolt of fear scampered throughout his body, and then …

… His consciousness slowly began to fade, muttering something under his breath as it went, until finally, he was overcome by the Count's tricks, and all became black.

---------------------

**Author's Note:** So ends Chapter Five! … Yes, I know, quite an abrupt ending. I'm so, SOOOO sorry it took so long to finish this chapter up, but stuff kept getting in the way. However, I'm going to try harder to get the chapters out much more quickly; starting with Chapter Six!

I would L-O-V-E to hear your comments, suggestions, ideas, and whatever! A lot! A lot a lot! And I apologize for this chapter's length; I decided to get this up before starting on Chapter Six to let you guys know I was still working on it. Well, I suppose that's it for now – ta ta until Chapter Six!


	6. 6: The Truth Comes Out

**Author's Note:** Contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead and no, I haven't fallen into a coma. But man, writer's block struck me reeeeeal hard! Anyway, this isn't exactly my lengthiest chapter – but chapter seven should make up for that. Also, a million thanks for the ideas and support you guys have given me – I can't tell you how much it means to me! I'll see if I can work some of your guys' ideas into the story soon – so be on the lookout!

Well, without further ado, here it is:

**-------------------------------**

**Chapter Six: The Truth is Out**

**-------------------------------**

**( _Somewhere far, far away …_ )**

The moon cast an enchanting light about the glistening snowy turf surrounding Count Rahmet's castle, the glittering white blanket spread out smoothly across the horizon. Most people would prefer this breath-taking view from the inside of a building of some sort, as opposed to actually going out into the abnormally cold, freezing winds and viewing it up-close. However, Count Rahmet was _not_ most people; in fact, he really wasn't even a _human_, if you wanted to get technical. Perhaps you could argue that he was the less appealing side of human nature personified, but even then, he was certainly _not_ human.

Even with his incredible height, the snow was still waist-deep. Any onlooker would have merely stared curiously at the sight, but luckily, it was practically impossible for there to even _be_ any onlookers; no normal being would voluntarily choose to live in a place like this, a frozen gem of a land, but too cold to support any human life. The trees, however few they were, looked as if they were made of glass, there limbs coated in several thick sheets of pure, clear ice, leaves frozen stiff, but covered in a thin sheet of snow, making them look as if they were made of the material instead of just coated in it.

"It's beautiful." Count Rahmet breathed, looking out at the scenery from beneath one of the 'crystal trees'. He gave a fanged smirk, accompanied by a hollow chuckle, as icy as his surroundings. "But no one else seems to understand it, do they? These … homosapiens," There appeared a look of utter dislike on his grim features as he spoke. "they're truly a pathetic excuse for a species, if I do say so myself. It'll be a joy to break free of the bonds of being attatched to one of them, I must admit. And then, once I have collected all of the Eight Powers … Hm-hm, indeed." The last step of the process he kept to himself. To be honest, he was still trying to figure out how to spring the reason he had brought the princesses to his 'humble abode' on them. He just wished he could smite his other half himself – that would speed up the process ever so much! Unfortunatly, the laws of _his _kind forbid that sort of thing, deeming it punishable by death. "What a shame." Rahmet muttered softly to himself, taking one last look at the lovely landscape before him before adding, "If it weren't for that petty little law, I wouldn't even have had to stoop down to the level of enlisting that _bumbling oaf_ of a reptile's assistance. Oh well, it's not as if he _accepted_ my offer, the ungrateful nit-wit."

Heaving a sigh, he looked up into the net of stars that dotted the sky in such glorious abundance, holding one wish closer to his heart than anything else. Just one simple, drastic wish … and nothing more. And as he looked up into the sky, he suddenly felt something surge through him, something that he hadn't felt for three or four days now, and at that precise moment Count Rahmet knew that somewhere far, far from there, his other half had awoken from his unconscious state at long last …

**----------------------------------**

**(_ Dominata Village )_**

The sun shined down in splendid rays upon the friendly and peaceful village of Dominata, gracing the warm-hearted townsfolk with a simply gorgeous day. Children giggled as they frolicked about playfully, while their parents watched from the comfort of their small, humble homes – most with a feeling of pride or compassion; however, for Piacah, this wasn't the case. You see, the normally calm lady Pianta had other things on her mind, causing her mind to focus on other matters.

"It's not that I have anything against his choice, I would have done the same thing in his position probably." Piacah explained to one of the other village women – Koopsie, an old friend of hers. "But it's been a bit … different around here since Piantico let those travelers stay with us, you know?"

The rather kindly koopa gave a small nod, a silent gesture indicating comprehension. "I know, Piacah dear, I know." She consoled. "But what do you expect from travelers? They're all a bit odd."

"A bit?" Piacah questioned with an unconvincing half-smile. "Koopsie, these 'house-guests' are, well … they're just plain bizarre!"

"At least two of them are the Mario Brothers, right? That can't be too bad, now can it?" Koopsie encouraged, but her friend merely sighed.

"Oh, it isn't them, it's not them at all. They've been quite courteous. It's the other two that bother me – well, actually," Piacah recounted this in her head. "the other _three._"

Koopsie raised an inquisitive brow. "Three? I thought that there were seven of them, originally."

"There still are – those two yoshis haven't been a nuisance, either. It's that vampire-boo, that Wario fellow and his unconscious brother that have been hard to grow accustomed to. They're just so strange, really; the boo isn't too bad really, but it's just the idea of having a boo just … floating around all the time that's irking me. And Wario? Oh, he's simply _disgusting_!" She shuddered, before she took a sip of her coffee and turning her gaze from the female koopa seated across from her to the morning sky outside. "At least that husband of mine claims it was the unconscious one he was most concerned about."

"Really now? Did he tell you what happened?"

"Well … yes, I suppose so; to the best of his knowledge, at any rate. He told me that while they were at Delphino Beach, something happened to the poor fellow – not even his brother was sure what – that caused him to suddenly just … faint. Tottally unconscious, he said. But you know what was _really_ strange?" Piacah now leaned in slightly, looking Koopsie in the eyes again – who now sat quite attentively.

"What?" The she-koopa questioned, as Piacah relaxed slightly, though her expression became quite serious.

"Well, the _really_ strange thing is, the man – the unconscious one – he had this simply _gorgeous_ nightshade-shaped sapphire with him; supposedly one of the most dazzling shades of cobalt you'll ever see. So anyway, this gem he had with him – in his pocket, I think – well, when the whole group had set him down on one of the tables – all huddled around him, you know – this … this _thing_ begins to glow, right? So, they take it out, and examine it or whatever, and it suddenly stops glowing. But the second they moved it back toward the man, it started glowing again!" By this time, Koopsie was staring avidly with interest in what her friend had to say, mesmerized by her words.

"That's the spookiest thing I've ever heard!" The she-koopa exclaimed.

"But isn't it?" Piacah replied. "Now, apparently, the group had some … talking diary or something with them. Or was it a diary that wrote back?" She paused thoughtfully for a moment, before continuing. "Well, you get what I mean. So, the boo – Boocifer, I think his name was – he just whips it out suddenly, and apparently 'asks' the shabby old thing why this would have happened, or how. And do you know what it said? … Er, or wrote, I suppose." Koopsie gave her friend a look that indicated that she was quite annoyed with this little technicality, prompting her to go on. "We'll go with said. So, anyway, the book said that this stone, called the Sapphire Nightshade Blossom, is one of the eight-powers or something, which are apparently these magic stones or something. Not the point. The point is, that apparently, the Sapphire Nightshade Blossom has the power to detect anybody who's 'currently in inner turmoil', or something like that. Or was it, 'someone who's soul is in despair'? Yes, yes, that was it, I'm quite certain!"

The kitchen fell silent, as Koopsie took in what her friend had just told her. Taking a long sip of coffee, the she-koopa finally responded to this eerie piece of information.

"Oh my. Well, if that's true, I must say – I feel quite sorry for the poor dear."

"Mm-hmm, me too, Koopsie, me too. But have you seen the man yet?" Koopsie shook her head in reply.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Because," Piacah explained, "he's a downright mess, if you ask me."

Koopsie looked surprised to hear her normally respectful friend say this. "Now, Piacah, is that really fair to say?" All the lady-pianta did in response was nod. "Oh? Oh really now?"

"Yes, really now. He's terribly tall, and almost _skeleton_ like. He wears only dull, dark, dim colors, and has the brim of his hat so far down that his eyes look _even creepier_ then they would otherwise! And not to mention that he's got a long, crooked nose and … well, you get my point now, don't you?"

Koopsie nodded firmly, but she still scowled. "I do get a mental image from what you're saying, but I doubt that any man is really that – OH MY GOSH!" Her friend's exclamation caused Piacah to jump ever so slightly in her seat, before looking frantically to the left and right to see what on earth was the matter.

"K-Koopsie, what's wrong?" She asked, not seeing anything at all. Her friend merely continued to stare past her, looking as if she'd been caught red-handed after stealing from the local Item shop. It took a few moments of awkward silence to realize that whatever had caused Koopsie's outburst was standing right behind her … in the doorway … and, judging by the quiet sort of tapping sounds, was currently drumming its fingers impatiently on the doorframe. Slowly, Piacah turned around, prepared for the worst, her mind racing with ideas of who – or what – on earth it could be. But the one thing she certainly was _not_ prepared for was …

"_O-oh … oh my – oh my – oh my – OH MY STARS! YOU'RE AWAKE?_" Standing there in the doorway was a certain tall, gaunt-faced, purple-clad man, who was leaning on the doorway and looking rather boredly at the pair of them.

"No, I'm his evil twin." Waluigi muttered sarcastically, as he straightened up and fully entered the kitchen. He paused for a moment as he reached the kitchen counter, thinking over what he had just said. "On second thought, that's a little too _possible_ to be funny." He kept his voice at a low mutter, so as not to alarm the already-shocked-beyond-all-measure women.

"I - I ….I apologize, Mr. … ?"

"Waluigi, and leave off the 'Mr.'. Look, lady, do you have any coffee around here or not? I need _something_ to wake me up fully." Piacah merely stared as her house-guest rummaged through the cupboards, emerging with a mug, before proceeding to help himself to some of the freshly-brewed coffee she had made mere moments before. However, just as Piacah opened her mouth to protest, her eyes caught on his, causing him to set the mug back down on the counter. "Lady, if you're actually THAT torn up about one cup of coffee, I can drink it in the other room to save you the pain of watching." He drawled, earning him a slightly peeved look from both Koopsie and Piacah.

"I do _not_ need that sort of sass from a man who I let stay in MY house for the past week, _sir_!" Waluigi took a long gulp of coffee, before setting the now-empty mug back down on the counter and looking at the lady-pianta with a raised brow.

"A week? It's been that long?"

"You better believe it, mister, and my friend here hasn't been too thrilled about the rest of those … folks who came with you! So show at the very LEAST a little thanks, huh?" Koopsie snapped, striking an attitude immediately. Waluigi chuckled, something that neither of the women understood.

"Well, in that case, I'll take pity on you. Having to deal with those goody-too-shoe Mario Brothers, the ever-obnoxious Boocifer, the 'unique' pair of yoshis Dove and Grissom PLUS my slob of a brother all at the same time? Yeesh, you must have the patience of a saint."

"Um … thank you?" Piacah mumbled, unsure how to take this statement.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Speaking of those jerks, would you happen to know where one of them is?" As Waluigi spoke, he headed for the back-door of the cutesy village home, sparing a glance back toward the pair only for an answer.

"I believe that the Mario Brothers wanted to discuss something with your brother and Boocifer, perhaps they headed for the village plaza?"

"Right." And with that, he left, shutting the door behind himself. Koopsie and Piacah, however, immediately began to murmmer to each other about the strange event that had just occurred. Or, more accurately, _unexpected_ event.

------------------------------

**( _Dominata Plaza _)**

"… So there, are you happy now?" The small, inexpensive resturaunt had proved to make a nice meeting place for the four allies (nevermind how much they wanted this title). Although Boocifer and Luigi were a tad uncomfortable at first, as the other two chowed down even after Luigi had finished (Boocifer, as a boo, had no need for food).

"I guess it all links up." Mario replied to his old rival after he'd finished explaining the story behind their quaint and unexpected journey.

"It links up, alright," Luigi retorted. "There's just one thing I don't get: Why did you and Waluigi agree to it if there's nothing in it for you two?"

Boocifer chimed in quickly to answer the green-clad plumber's question. "Nothing in it for them? Keh heh heh, don't be silly! King Rexington agreed to pay them plenty for the whole ordeal. _And_ with the agreement that they could keep anything they found on the trip!"

The expression that fell on Wario's face caused both of the Mario brothers to laugh; Boocifer, however, had quite a different reaction. By now, he knew full well that neither Wario nor his brother (who the pale-green boo was quite relieved wasn't there at that moment) reacted too well to embarrassment.

"Wario, ease up on the little guy." Mario said, as he finally choked down his light-hearted laughter. "Anyway, we've got more important things to focus on."

"Yeah, like the Sapphire Nightshade that you pocketed without us knowing about it." Luigi stated, much bolder than usual. "We understand that this is just as much your mission as it is ours, but at least tell us about it when you find one of the Eight Powers."

Wario slammed his fist down on the table, not welcoming such an accusation so warmly. "Now wait just a minute! _I_ didn't steal that stupid jewel!" '_Yeah, because I didn't know about it.'_ He thought, keeping this to himself.

"He's telling the truth, I swear it." Boocifer interjected, unable to help himself from supporting what he knew to be true. Mario and Luigi looked at each other in slight confusion, before shrugging and looking back at the other two.

"Then why did Waluigi have it when we found him unconscious?"

"What, isn't he just as capable of underhanded stealing as I am – if not more?" Wario huffed, sticking to his case. Now it was Luigi's turn to add his input.

"He has a point, Mario. Waluigi's been known to be much more capable of that sort of thing."

"Now I didn't say I _couldn't –"_

"You're right, Luigi. Well, if we could just take it back, I don't think any harm will be done. The question is, why didn't he tell us about it?" Wario, Luigi, and Boocifer all exchanged glances before Wario took the liberty of stating the obvious.

"Because he's Waluigi. Besides, I would've done the same exact thing if I'd found it first." Mario shrugged.

"Glad to hear we can trust you two. Oh well, at least it isn't in the hands of the villain, right?"

"Depends how you define 'villain'." Luigi muttered under his breath, only to get a nudge from his brother; although Mario never _did _disagree.

"I pride myself on my wily cunning, if you must know. That's something that most imbeciles you two consider 'villains' don't seem to ever possess." That cold, yet amused voice registered immediately in Luigi's mind, causing a series of spastic and unexpected gestures to unfold, until he finally managed to turn around to face his rival's dim, scheming gray eyes.

"W-W-Walu-Walu-Wa-"

"You're finally awake! Took ya long enough, ya pessimistic loony! We were just –" Wario's strange but brotherly greeting was quickly cut off by its recipient. He didn't look amused in the slightest.

"I could care less whether you all think I'm fit for an asylum or not, but the situation is serious now; I of all people should know." There was something in his voice that was missing; for once, he seemed to have taken the matter to heart. At noticing this, all four of the other allies exchanged worried glances.

"Uh, bro? Are you sick or somethin'?" Wario questioned bluntly, waving a hand in front of Waluigi's face – a hand that was quickly slapped away.

"I thought we already addressed that matter; do I need to spell it out for you? Save your accusations for later." It was now Mario's turn to speak out of turn, still not believing that Waluigi of all people was taking the mission seriously.

"Does that include the one about you _stealing_ one of the Eight Powers?" Rolling his eyes exasperantly and yanking a chair away from one of the other nearby tables in the restaurant, Waluigi flopped down into it rather sloppily before explaining himself any further.

"Yes, it does. Now SHADDUP!" This unexpected yell caused them all to not only jump slightly in their seats, but give their complete attention to their lanky cohort. "…That's much better. Now then, down to business. While we were in Delphino Plaza, Wario and I were confronted by none other than the mastermind behind this entire mess, the –"

"Hold up! All I remember of major importance is that you suddenly got knocked out cold for no reason whatsoever!" Wario inserted with an expression of protest.

"Oh, right. I was the only one who actually met him." Waluigi paused momentarily, feeling the rather ill-willed gawking gazes that were directed at him from Mario, Luigi, and Wario – but, strangely, not Boocifer. Ignoring them, he continued his explanation. "Well, anyway … If it gives you any idea, he had the power to freeze everything around him – except me, for some reason or another. He appeared out of nowhere, and he …" His voice trailed off, unable to finish the statement. He was already having enough trouble facing the truth himself; explaining it certainly wasn't within his reach at the moment. To his surprise, Boocifer chimed in to help out – sort of.

"... So you know, now?" Waluigi looked up at the pale-green boo, slightly surprised.

"If you mean about the Count, then yes."

"Ah. That explains it." Boocifer said firmly, yet with a twinge of pity in his voice. "I was afraid that my Master would take advantage of the Emerald Daisy's time-stopping ability somehow, but this is … keh-heh, then again, let's remember who we're talking about." Their seemed to be a teasing glint in the specter's eye as he spoke, hoping that Waluigi would catch it and return to his rambunctious and irritable self.

"Would someone PLEASE tell us what's going on, already?!" Wario exclaimed, confused beyond all belief.

"Yeah, tell us what you two are talking about already!" Mario piped up impatiently. Waluigi sighed, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts before beginning his explanation on the matter. After taking a deep breath, however, he began.

"Our enemy … calls himself Count Rahmet, and certainly knows what he's doing. He's got wits, he's got skill, he's got good looks …" The last part was muttered with a rather impish chuckle, and judging by Boocifer's rather exasperated sigh, he'd caught onto Waluigi's gloating. The other three, however, were merely left staring awkwardly at their cohert. "Eh-uhm … er, that really wasn't as bad as it sounded. Count Rahmet …" With a pride-induced smirk, Waluigi leapt to his feet and stood to his full height, casting an intimidating glance on the rest of them. "… is me."

"WHAT?!" The threesome all reacted out of shock, though the effects were different: Wario merely stared, twitching a few times with his jaw dropped; Mario had instantly recoiled, muttering incomprehensible Italian phrases under his breath; and Luigi, who had been leaning back in his chair, let out one faint groan of 'mama-mia!' and fainted, falling backward (and, had it not been for Boocifer's quick reaction, would have hit the cold tile ground with a loud crack). Perhaps it was the last of these reactions that caused Waluigi to laugh so cockily, quite enjoying the situation.

"That's not funny, Luigi could have gotten hurt!" Boocifer scolded, as Waluigi's laughter died out.

"… I know. That's _why_ it's funny." Boocifer gave Waluigi a stern glare, something that caused him to simply roll his eyes with an annoyed scowl of sorts. "Oh, now come ON! I haven't gotten a chance to laugh like that for awhile now, y'know. Besides, you know I was only kidding."

"Just get on with it, ya twisted git! 'Cuz we certainly didn't think you were!" Wario snarled, causing Waluigi to finally refocus – even if unwillingly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Are Dumb and Dumber over there listening? 'Cuz I ain't repeating any of this." He paused for a moment, as a thought suddenly struck him. "Wait a second … Hey, Boocifer – Hand Marvin over here, wouldja?"

"Er, ok …" Obeying this command immediately, Boocifer pulled the old ratty diary out of seemingly nowhere – but certainly somewhere – and handed it to his comrade, along with a pen. Snatching them up, Waluigi scribbled something down quickly before turning the diary around for the rest of them to read.

_Who is Count Rahmet?_

"Feeling lazy, are we?" Boocifer muttered, though silently chuckled to himself upon receiving a tired glare from Waluigi.

"Shaddup, you. Unless you've forgotten, I've been lying unconscious for a week; I'm not exactly spry as a spring chicken."

"Will you two shaddup for a second? We're tryin' to read here!" Indeed, Marvin had already begun 'writing' back a reply to this question – the ink revealing itself in brisk strokes at a fast pace.

_Ah, yes; Count Rahmet. I was wondering when you'd ask. Let's see here … Count Rahmet is of unnatural birth – meaning that his origins are from the recesses of Man's mind and wickedness. I heard plenty of legends back in my day of his kind – a clan of creatures which are born out of the dark thoughts, actions, ideas … all of the ill-willed intent which plagues the human heart. Most people's malice and hatred never reaches the extent needed for his sort to be born, but once it reaches its peak, they separate from their … 'host body' and become an independent being. There are, however, still laws that tie them to their originator – laws that are sewn into the fabrics of reality. For instance, if they were to kill their originator themselves, they too would die, since they still feed off of the very life force from which they were born. These creatures are called 'Mors Cordalium', derived from the ancient phrase 'mors cordi', meaning 'Dead Heart'. A Mors Cordalium is indeed a force to be reckoned with, some worse than others, but often taking a physical shape that is inevitably like that of their originator._

The writing ceased for a moment, almost as if Marvin were taking a deep breath from all the 'talking'. However, he then continued on.

_Count Rahmet is of the worst variety, having come to my attention within the past 30 years or so – possibly closer to 25. For a Mors Cordalium, that's quite young. However, his originator possessed such malice, hatred, and pent-up ill-natured feelings that he grew in power to quite a high level. Appearance-wise, the only natural difference is a set of vampire-like fangs and a diamond-shaped scar upon his forehead; no doubt he has made a point of dressing and keeping himself a bit distinguished, however, as Mors Cordalium are very vain creatures, thinking quite highly of themselves and highly offended by the idea of them being – in reality – dependant on what was once the host body. Rahmet dwells in an arctic wasteland quite removed from the rest of civilization, known only as the Crevace of Oblivion. … Which now that I think about it, is quite unfitting, seeing as the land is so incredibly vast in size. That aside, he has a fettish for classical music and the arts, and has made a point of keeping up quite a gentlemanly nature – however twisted he may be, he's always ready to 'politely slit a throat or two'. I suppose it would be beneficial to you if you knew that, as all Mors Cordalium do, Rahmet has a second form – that of a gargantuan bat-like creature, possessing unbelievable fighting ability as apposed to the agility he possesses in his normal form._

_Will that suffice?_

Waluigi suddenly felt the pen being yanked out of his hand, his protesting yelp fell on deaf ears, as Wario handed the pen to Luigi, who had been looking around for one mere seconds before.

"Oh! Uh, th-thank you, Wario." Luigi stuttered a reply, unused to gestures of remote politeness from either Wario or Waluigi. He then took the pen in his hand and wrote out a question for the know-it-all diary.

_Just one more question, Marvin, and I don't know if you'll be able to answer it, but, out of pure curiosity … who exactly is Count Rahmet's past host body, or originator?_

"That's a good question, Luigi!" Mario beamed, giving his brother a firm pat on the back – something the green-clad lad didn't expect, causing him to give a slight yelp at the sudden impact. The feeling of confidence that rose in him, however, was extinguished as that same neat, curly cursive writing scrawled across the page on its own, revealing the answer.

_You mean, you don't know?_

Silence reigned. Behind the three who were hunched over the diary, the lack of color in Waluigi's face worsened, fearing for how this would be taken. Suddenly, impulse overtook him.

"So, uh, now you guys know!" Waluigi exclaimed, lunging for the diary without a single word of warning.

"Wha – HEY! What the heck are you doing, you numbskull?!" Wario snarled.

"Yeah, give it back!" Mario chimed in, while Luigi watched curiously as Waluigi struggled to close Marvin.

"What … the HECK … is _wrong_… with this stupid book?!"

"Well, I'm no genius, buuuut …" Ignoring the snide comment from Waluigi on Boocifer's statement, the pale-green boo continued. "… my guess is that it doesn't want to be shut, or ignored. It wants to be heard … er, I mean, read … but without a voice, all it can do is stay open and hope someone will read it."

Silence was cast over the boo's comrades yet again, as they all gawked at him in shock; none of them had expected such a logical answer. It sounded like a perfectly reasonable notion.

"So _hand it over, pal!_" Wario snapped, yanking the book from his much weaker brother with ease. For a moment, the signs of shock seemed to be etched across his face; engraven, even. Then …

"AAAGH!" Marvin fell to the ground with a clatter. Mario and Luigi both yelped slightly, surprised by Wario's outburst; after his exclamation, he had dropped the ratty old diary and scooted backward quite a few feet, his jaw shaking slightly.

"Mama mia! Are you alright?" Mario asked, surprised to hear the words coming out of his mouth in a situation concerning Wario. But, then again, he also hadn't ever seen the behemoth of a man so scared. Or was 'scared' the right word? Panic-stricken, perhaps? Or maybe a mix of the two?

The only response Mario ever received was a shaky hand rising slowly, quivering, but clearly pointing to the spot in which Waluigi had stood mere moments ago.

-------------------------------

**(_ Dominata Outskirts _)**

Moe was used to this by now. 20 years of the same ol' song-and-dance, and yet, he still found it intriguing as ever. At this point, he practically felt as if it were his duty to be a shoulder to cry on for the down-and-out.

"An' then … an' … an' then she told me … aw, I can't even repeat what that woman told me." Heaving a heavy sigh, Moe looked up at the old toad in front of him with a raised brow. Franky was a regular at 'Moe's' – it was practically a second home to him. Moe always wondered what drove the men who came into his pub to such dedication to things that were obviously heading on a one-way road to disaster. Most of these things were women, but every now and then some other problem would be plaguing a man who wandered into the establishment. But whatever the cause, 'Moe's' doors were always open, and its owner, manager, barkeep always had a shoulder to cry on. That's just the way Moe preferred his pub to be. The only other people who worked there were the old pub's three waitresses: Peggy, Penny, and Sue, all of which she-koopas who had grown up in the small village of Dominata and were only 18 or so, but had some need or another for a semi-steady paycheck.

"Franky, you come here every week, complainin' about that woman. It makes me wonder why you even put up with her. Sounds to me like she ain't … aw, now don't start the waterworks again, Franky!"

"Moe, why even try? Ol' Frank's got a stubborn head on 'im anyhow. He loves that woman, an' that's all that matters, ain't it?" Jed was another regular at the dusty old pub, but he was a rather dashing shy guy of only 20 or so. He seemed to come more to hear about the sob-stories of others more than anything else, and was, ironically, not all that shy.

"Eh-eh-exactly!" Franky croaked, before bursting into another fit of sobs which seemed to go unnoticed by the rest of the pub's occupants – however few they were.

"Jed, that would be the only semi-tactful thing you've said all day. Pass me that mug if you're done with it, won't'cha?" Peggy said casually, taking said-mug from Jed's hands as he passed it to her. "Besides, you ain't experienced heartbreak, you don't know how it feels." Jed chuckled.

"Well, neither have you, Peg."

"I know, but at least I've seen its effects about a thousand times. It's a real shame, ya'know? I just don't get it. I really, really don't. Some people are just too thick to notice the damage they're doin'."

"Well, that would be civilization for ya." Moe remarked with a shrug. Moe was a mole – a mole of about 50 or so, tough as they came but with a heart to boot, whether he'd admit to it or not. "Now then, if we could just all get along, it would be a different story entirely, eh? But no, we're all in too much of a rush to stop an' smell the roses, eh? What a shame. What a dirty, rotten –"

_SLAM!_

Moe jerked his head toward the source of the clamor. The pub fell silent. And all that could be heard for a moment was the moaning desert winds outside of Dominata's run down old pub. All eyes were on the tall, spindly silloheted figure that stood in the open doorway, catching its breath. Then –

"Who the devil are _you_?" Jed sounded almost taken aback by this unknown wanderer; in a small town, strangers were a rarity.

"My, he looks tired …" Penny whispered, as Sue gave a little nod, her eyes still locked on the lone figure in the doorway, even as it strode into the pub, the door swinging shut behind it.

Waluigi ignored the stares coming from all six of the pub's occupants, practically by instinct, and took a seat on one of the stools in front of the bar. His mind was clouded with too many questions, thoughts, and curses to count, setting the ancient book he had been carrying down on the bar with a resounding _thump_. The silence was like sweet nectar – sweet bliss – while it lasted, at least.

"Er, Mister? You're new around here, ain'tcha?" Moe asked quizzically, peering at the slumped over figure with peeked interest. Not only was he a complete stranger, but …

"Well, I'd like to say right now that he doesn't look safe. Peggy – Penny – Sue – watch out." Jed muttered defensively, glowering at Waluigi from behind his mask. Not that anyone could actually _tell._

"Hm?" Waluigi sat up slightly straighter, his gray-eyed gaze narrowing in on Jed immediately with a sinister sneer of sorts. "Now now, what makes you say _that?_" Ignoring Jed's finicky whimpering, Sue responded to his question.

"Not to offend you or anything, Sir, but you certainly do put the 'strange' in 'stranger'." By this comment alone, Waluigi could tell that this chick was a ditz.

"Oh, no, really, I'm not offended. Not in the least. I'm used to it by now." There was still a cold hissing of sorts in his voice to clue Sue in on the falsity of this statement.

"Sue – go clean up that table, would you?" Moe said, more to get the girl sidetracked than anything else. "Now then – you look troubled, sir."

"Troubled?" Waluigi sneered. "I'm really not troubled in the least. I just have a mind full of regrets. Now would you _please_ leave me alone with them?" Moe merely gave a chuckle, shaking his head slightly.

"Sorry, sonny, but that just ain't the way I work. Now then, what's troublin' ya?" Before Waluigi could answer, however, Jed took the liberty of doing so for him.

"I'll betcha it's the guilt that's getting to him!" Jed barked, receiving strange looks from those around him.

"You feelin' alright today?" Moe inquired, scratching his head in confusion. "You're not usually like this. You sick or somethin'?"

"Sick? No. What makes you say that?" There was something strange about Jed's voice, a certain anxiousness that rung throughout it; it seemed to have taken on a different tone than before. Penny gasped slightly, noticing another difference in the shy guy's speech.

"Why, Jed! You're annunciatin'! That ain't like you at all, speakin' all … proper an' all."

All the murmuring that this managed to peak Waluigi's interest, finally letting his gaze slide in the direction of the now silent shy guy. There _was _something strange going on; that was for sure. He hadn't ever been able to tell that a shy guy was nervous before now.

"Wha-what'cha talkin' 'bout, Penny?" Jed squirmed slightly, unnerved by all of the fuss. "The fact of the matter is, I just ain't got a good feeling about this guy, tha's'it!"

"Well why don't'cha, Jed?" Penny pursued, her eyes narrowing. The room would have been completely silent, had Frankie not been blubbering away in the corner. Then, something unexpected happened.

_SLAM!_

Penny was thrown back into the table behind her, as Jed landed gracefully back on his feet. Nobody knew for sure what had happened in that fraction of a second, or why Jed was in the air in the first place. But Waluigi had a good idea; and he most certainly didn't like it. Or maybe it was the fact that he didn't know _how_ he had a good idea of what was going on that he didn't like.

"Won't you _idiots_ just … stop being so _loyal_?!" Everybody suddenly stopped panicking and turned to face the speaker, as he stood up to his full height. That certainly shut everybody up … except Jed, that is.

"Huh?" He looked quite ridiculous, standing there gawking stupidly with his jaw dropped – or something to that effect, seeing as he was a shy guy. "What're you talking about, ya freak?"

_That_ was the biggest mistake Jed had made yet.

"Is it a fight you want, you masked moron?" Waluigi snarled, his blood boiling and anger pulsing through his veins – anger he was barely able to control. "Because I'm fully prepared to give ya one!"

"That's right, get angry. Just keep going."

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU MUMBLING ABOUT, YA –" There are times when people lose control, when they reach the end of their ropes. This was one of those times. Everything that had happened in the last few days (while he was conscious, that is) finally got to Waluigi, and it all came out at once. Needless to say, the words that followed would have made grown men cry. But Jed – he just smiled.

"If it's a fight you want, you could've just said so." Taking the moment of silence to his advantage, Jed reached into his pocket and … pulled out a cube? Waluigi stopped just as he was about to start another round of insults, his eyes frozen on the small geometrical shape. He'd seen that before … but why would Jed have one … ?

All around him panic erupted as smoke clouded up the room, and when it had cleared, they were gone.

----------------------

**Author's Note:** Yeah … so … my apologies for the lack of length. And the cliffhanger. I figured that I better give you guys at least a little bit of something to make up for my horrible updating skills. Hopefully Chapter Seven will come much more quickly. As always, I absolutely love receiving ideas, input, comments, and feedbacks from readers – it's what makes writing worth it (that, and the enjoyment others receive from it). Well, until next chapter … ta ta for now!


	7. 7: The Cold, the Strange, and the Feisty

**Author's Note:** WHOOT! XD I think this one might actually be on time – amaaaazing! Heh heh. Anyway … this chapter has quiiiiiiiite a bit in it. Yeah. No, really, I'm not kidding. So here's a little warning as to some of the stuff in it:

1.) There _will_ be usage of nicknames in this. That is, from one character to another (at least once, and you'll know when you've hit that part).

2.) Prepare for a chilling excursion into the realms of an icy mountain cave with one of the most ridiculous and totally unoriginal names ever known to man. XP I was stumped as to what to call the place, alright?!

3.) Darci's character gets developed a whooooole lot in this. And because of that, I want to make it clear that I'd absolutely love to get some feedback on her; does she earn some respect in your book, even though she's an OC of mine? Or are there some things about her that really irk you so far? Either way, tell me, because I want to know!

4.) A rather funny little fiend will make another appearance as a battle opponent. Joy, right? Well, I dunno, I didn't do nearly as good of a job this time, so I apologize.

5.) Count Rahmet's gonna have a little wake-up call as to what he's up against. )

Now then, with that out of the way, I suppose it's time to let y'all read the story, eh? Well, without further ado, I present to you …

**-------------------**

**Chapter Seven: The Cold, the Strange, and the Feisty**

**-------------------**

_**( Somewhere far, far away … )**_

_Thunk._

"… Huh?" Peach blinked a few times, waking up at the sound – it wasn't loud, but Peach had never been a heavy sleeper. Her eyes didn't want to focus for a moment, but as soon as they cooperated, they snapped to the source of the sound. "D-Darci, what are you doing? It's late …" As the delicate blonde spoke, she let escape a rather petite yawn.

Darci didn't bother to shift her gaze toward her cellmate for a moment, as she stood frozen, silently cursing herself for letting the fan slip from her hands. She had to keep herself from verbally expressing her anger when the object had hit the ground, and now, as she held it at her side, she was still fighting to control her frustration.

"Just go back to sleep." Was the simple reply; the raven-haired damsel who spoke it sounded slightly sharper than before, though this was quickly controlled.

"Hmmm? But –"

"Just … sleep." Darci said, finally turning a gentle gaze toward the Mushroom Kingdom's princess, giving a soothing half-smile. The tired girl merely gave a nod in response, before lying back down on the stiff bed of hay.

"Ok, just don't do … anything … stupid …" By the time she had finished speaking, Peach was already drifting off once again, much to her fellow prisoner's relief.

_'Good,'_ Darci thought, smirking. _'Now then, it's high time this dreary old fortress had a little splash of fun!'_

---------------------------------

"Lordy, its dark out!" The guard heaved a sigh, unable to believe what his partner had just said. He could be so … so _stupid_ sometimes!

"Naw, ya don't say? Its midnight, you dolt! O'course its dark out! Now focus on yer job already, will ya?" The two guards – both of which Dry Bones (basically, koopa skeletons) – had never gotten along well. Complete opposites, but put on the same job; what _had_ the Boss been _thinking?_

"Awww, now really, it ain't like those babes are gonna be goin' nowhere!" The second guard replied with a chuckle. "I mean, really, they ain't exactly no G.I. Jane, am I right, or am I right?" The ghoul _did_ have a point, the first guard reasoned. This notion relaxed him a bit.

"I suppose yer right." Giving a wheezing chortle, the first guard continued, "After all, what'er they gonna do? Bust out here with some ancient, mighty weapon of mass destruction?"

"Well, boys, that depends on how you define 'mass destruction'."

_KA-THWACK! … THUMP!_

Darci viewed the now unconscious piles of bones on the floor where the guards had stood mere moments ago. Well, _that_ was easy. Taking a glance around the citadel's hall, she noted the rather dull, dim décor. The Count wasn't exactly a Martha Stewart reincarnate, that was for sure. It was all a bit depressing – something that she didn't appreciate at the moment. It was her versus her captor – and his massive, unfailingly loyal army. But she was determined to make this escape more than just an attempt; she was set on _freedom._

Stepping down the hallway, she gave a flick of her right wrist – causing the handheld fan in her grasp to close up once again. It was a fair-sized piece of work, elegantly decorated with a crescent moon design in a black and white color scheme, but still sturdy. The fan had been passed down to each female in her family line, possessing a hidden power: the ability to manipulate the wind. It sure as heck beat a bottle of mace when it came to self defense.

_'Now then, let's see here … if I don't want to get caught, I should probably find a way to disguise myself …'_ She glanced back at the guards, and, with a frown, realized that the soldiers didn't wear uniforms. Only helmets. '_Well, scratch that idea then.'_ As she quietly roamed further down the hall, something suddenly caused her to panic: footsteps. _And they were coming this way._

'_Cruuuuud!'_ Without bothering to think it over, the Eclipso Kingdom's princess dashed into the door nearest her, and as she shut the door silently behind herself, she thought, '_Please, oh please, let this lead to a way out of this mess … !'_

**-------------------------**

**( '_Moe's' Pub – inside the Arena Cube …_ )**

_'What. The. Heck.'_ Waluigi couldn't believe this. It had been enough of a shock to run into one of Rahmet's cronies in the middle of some blasted pub in the middle of nowhere, but this? This was ridiculous, to say the least. He had recognized the arena the moment he landed in it. The house-like structure, the eerie decay, the unnerving lights that came from seemingly nowhere … this was the Shadow Sirens' arena.

So who was his opponent? Surely Jed hadn't been in league with them in secret, right? Memories of the last battle he'd fought in this arena came to Waluigi in a flash of images, and in that instance it became all too clear.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of two glowering red eyes, and a feeling of aggravation set in place as he realized that his opponent was none other than …

"Alright, you freak-in-a-sheet, come out here where I can see you!"

And with that, an oddly unnerving cackle rang out in the arena, and the battle began.

**-------------------**

**(MINI-BOSS BATTLE TIME!)**

**(DOOPLISS: HP – 1)**

**(FIGHT!)**

_Ka-thump!_ Was the sound of Doopliss' feet landing on the ground as he leapt out of the shadows, that stupid, conniving grin set firmly on his face. "It's been awhile, eh, Twiggy?"

"Oh, shut yer yap and let's get this over with already!" The fact that Doopliss was back did disturb Waluigi slightly; he certainly had hoped to never have to see the unscrupulous ghoul again. However, this only fueled the need to pulverize him.

Wordlessly, the shape shifter responded to the demanding snarl by raising his arms, as a violent shaking spread throughout his sheet-like body. Then – _poof!_ The form which Doopliss chose this time around was one that Waluigi hadn't expected. In front of him now stood what could be described as a more child-friendly, under-animated version of himself … and a sight that made his blood boil even on sight. _Luigi._

"Let's-a go!" With a cocky sneer, the green-clad imposter took to the skies with a great leap, green fireballs conjuring in his palms even as he spoke. The fire seemed to almost be taunting the opponent, crackling and whirring about. And, as one had come to expect from Waluigi, he gave into the spirited flames' taunting.

Hammer at his side, Waluigi took off at a sprint through the winding corridors of the arena, his long legs allowing him to reach a higher speed than most people could. _'I can't just run around forever. He may have the shape and the abilities of that pansy, but he's still got the determination to wipe me out as he had before.'_ He thought, trying to work his way out of this mentally. _'Jeeze, what's with people wanting to kill me, anyway? Hmph, I guess it's really not much of a change, thou-… what's that smell?'_ His musing was suddenly brought to a halt, as he caught a whiff of a rather unpleasant scent. It smelled like … like … _smoke_.

…. Smoke?

Whipping his head around, he found that the source of the smoky fumes was standing right behind him. And what he saw was _not_ exactly the most encouraging of sights to behold.

Flames enveloped his opponent's form, their bright green glow bathing the entire corridor in an eerie light. But Doopliss wasn't burned, even as the odd flames licked across the copy-cat's skin. And the all-too-pleased grin that split across his face was a tell-tale sign of enjoyment. Using his superb logical skills, Waluigi quickly came to the conclusion that that irritatingly arrogant sneer wouldn't be on his opponent's face if he were being burned alive; and thus, this meant that he had about 5 seconds – maybe ten, if Lady Luck was on his side – to come up with a way to make it out of this thing in one un-scorched piece.

The flames surrounding Doopliss' open palms surged up, almost like a snarling leopard ready to attack, causing Waluigi to jump ever so slightly. Ok, so maybe he was getting his hopes up about the 'un-scorched' part.

And then, it hit him: it was a stroke of genius. Not that those were rare occurrences with him, though. His confidence returned, as well as his snide, somewhat over-the-top pride. _Oh yeah, baby, he was back in business._

"Well, are you gonna just stand there lookin' pretty for once in your life, Freak-Sheet?" Waluigi sneered. Doopliss glared. And that's when the flames that surrounded the doppleganging ghoul's 'borrowed' body launched out at his spindly opponent, rushing in on him like a pack of rabid dogs.

But these dogs weren't about to receive a warm welcome if Waluigi could help it. Hammer thrust out in front of him, he gave a twist of the wrist, letting a surge of power burst into the movement. The hammer, following this movement, swept in a full-scale circle in front of its wielder, and kept spinning as long as Waluigi continued to skillfully twist his wrists at a rapid pace.

The flames were met with a sudden gust of wind, causing them to die out before they reached the target. Doopliss scowled. This was _not_ how it was supposed to happen._ 'What a persistent moron.' _The ghoul thought, eyes seething in loathing. _'On the other hand, that's the problem: he ain't a moron. Hmph. What a pain. The Boss ain't gonna be too happy if I return having failed again … but what can I –'_

"Think FAST!" Doopliss retaliated, but not fast enough.

"_Aaaugh!"_** (HIT!)**

Doopliss' borrowed figure was now doubled over in pain, his hand clenching his stomach in agony. Receiving a full-on kick to the stomach was one thing; receiving a full-on kick to the stomach that has the added affect of deep violet flames? _That_ was another. Fury began to grow in the wily specter's mind, all of it centered on the man who now stood grinning over his doubled-over figure, hammer now resting at his side.

"And _that_, kids, is why you don't play with fire."

**----------------------------**

**( _Dominata Outskirts – 'Moe's' Pub _)**

As the smoke unfurled, Waluigi found himself back in the pub. His eyes instantly darted toward Marvin, making sure that the ratty old diary was still there – which, much to his relief, it was. As he went over and picked it up, pocketing it once again, his eyes darted toward the spot where the Arena cube had lay. It was gone now; as was its owner. _'Stupid coward.'_ He thought bitterly. He hadn't wanted to have to fight that stupid ghost again; he hadn't even wanted to be on this stupid journey. He'd felt this way ever since he'd found out the truth – the truth about the cause of all this, about Count Rahmet. He'd felt almost sick, so lost, so … so …. Whatever the feeling was, he hated it. He _really_ hated it.

"D'ya think that she's alright, Moe?"

"She certainly is pretty; I wonder what she was doing in our closet? Strange, ain't it?" Penny and Moe's voices cut through the man's concentration in an instant. What on earth were they talking about? Shifting his gaze toward the pub's other occupants, he found them all crowded around one of the circular tables (this one was of a fair size) in the pub, an excited air floating about the group. And, was that a pale, delicate _hand_ he saw hanging off the table's edge?

Inching closer to the group, his intrigue was peaked; was there a girl laying on that table? A human girl? Whatever it was that had them so preoccupied, it had apparently taken their attention away from Jed's strange behavior. That, and the fact that both 'Jed' and the bizarre and somewhat frightening newcomer (Waluigi) had disappeared into a miniscule cube; and in a cloud of smoke that had unfurled _from_ said-cube none the less. Silently, he continued to listen.

"Yessiree, it most certainly is real pecul'lyer!" What Franky had been trying to say was the word, 'peculiar', however, his pronunciation had been a bit off. "I reckon she's been in a right bit o' trouble, though. Lookee-here at all them tears in her dress!" As the old toad spoke, he pointed a somewhat shaky finger toward several spots over what Waluigi had decided was indeed a human being of the female sort.

"An' we hadn't been able to get that closet door open ever since that strange, strange man came in here a few months ago." Sue pointed out. Peggy was next to contribute to the conversation.

"You mean the one with the real suspicious lookin' cloak that hid his identity from us, right?"

"Which one? There's a lotta folks who come on in here like that." Penny pointed out. The most pathetic part about this was the fact that Waluigi could tell that they honestly weren't joking.

"You know, the one who was really tall – I mean _really_ tall – an' was asking for this real fancy-like drink that turned out to be a sort of wine."

"_Oooooh!_" Penny and Sue spoke in unison, but Sue was the one to add the ending statement. "That guy who had those two really strangely colored Boos with him, right?" Waluigi's eyes widened slightly at this last bit. The stranger – it sounded much too much like Count Rahmet to be a coincidence. But what on earth did he have to do with the pub's closet being perpetually locked?

"I wonder …" Moe scuffled over toward the door, trying to open it again; but it wouldn't budge. As he returned to the table, however, he caught site of Waluigi – and quickly alerted the others. "Hey, y'all – the stranger's back! But … where's Jed?" Waluigi suddenly noticed that all eyes were now on him, anxiously waiting to be informed of what on earth was going on in the old pub. And he supplied that information immediately.

"That wasn't Jed. It was a fake." He said, his voice as cold and sharp as ever. Yet this didn't detour the pub's occupants in the slightest – in fact, they seemed even more curious, despite his unfriendly tone. "To put it in the simplest terms possible, it was a shape shifter who was just pretending to be Jed."

"Where did he go, mister?" Peggy questioned.

"I don't know, but he's gone." Striding over to the rest of the group, he was about to speak when something stopped him. The body on the table – he'd seen it before. He'd seen it quite a few times before, though never up close and never first-hand: he had seen it first when he and Wario had gone to the Eclipso Kingdom's castle – but then it was just a painting. An extremely realistic and excellent painting, granted, but still just a painting. And the second time … well, that had been his first encounter with Doopliss; the ghastly ghoul had used his extraordinary ability to trick Waluigi, Wario and Boocifer and lead them straight into the Shadow Sirens' trap. But now, as he laid eyes on that pale yet illustrious face of hers, he found her even more breath-takingly beautiful than before.

The perplexed eyes of the pub's occupants gazed on the scene in confusion. Sue was the first to speak up.

"U-um, mister … do you know this lady?" The teen koopaling asked hesitantly, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side.

"… You could say that." Waluigi replied. "Yeah, I guess so."

Franky caught sight of Waluigi's expression with a slight smile, allowing a wheezy sort of chuckle to escape under his breath; and causing him to receive a glance from the tall, spindly man. Franky then explained his actions – sounding much more composed than anybody in that entire pub had ever heard him sound.

"I apologize, young'n, it's just that ya looked a wee bit _peaceful _for the first time since ya came in here. Ya really care about 'er, don't'cha, young'n?" Waluigi raised a brow, his cynical tone returning in an instant.

"Uh, right, whatever." With those three careless words having been spoken, he stood up straighter once again, his gray eyes falling back on Moe. "You. Rodent. Get me a glass of freezing-cold water." Though the mole wasn't exactly pleased to be addressed in such a rude manner, he did as he was told – in a hurry.

"Got it." Waluigi took the mug-full of water as it was handed to him, and for a moment, he merely examined the princess' unconscious frame. She really was a gorgeous girl – but in a way that was different than Daisy and Peach's … _charm_, as others had called it. Darci had a much darker elegance about her; refined wasn't quite the right word, but whatever it was, it was something unique.

'_What the heck am I doing?'_ He scolded himself mentally for letting himself look so ridiculously sentimental. Then, without another word, raised the mug of water above the unconscious figure, and …

_SPLASH!_

Darci didn't scream. She didn't shriek. She didn't even yelp. Instead, she sat bolt upright, and – as if on instinct – slapped Waluigi across the face. Hard.

"… Ouch …" He said stiffly, feeling the pulsing pain on his cheek – he could guess that there was now a big, red, hand-shaped mark there from the princess' retaliation. "Somehow, I'd imagined my meeting you a bit differently. Then again, in my version, you were still locked away in the Count's clutches and about ten times needier."

"Oh, my gosh – I-I'm so sorry! Soooo sorry!" Darci felt like a complete moron, her cheeks blushing like mad out of embarrassment. She hadn't meant to do it, it had just … happened. Really. "… Though I've gotta admit, dumping a mug-full of freezing cold water on me _really_ wasn't the most _gentlemanly_ of ways to wake me up, y'know." She certainly did feel chilled to the bone at the moment; that helped her stifle her guilt. Before Waluigi could reply to this accusation, Peggy, Penny and Sue all came at her at once with questions.

"Are you alright, miss?"

"Oooh, this fabric is simply amazing; where'dja get this dress?"

"Why were ya in the pub's closet?"

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Darci didn't know where to start. But she finally addressed Peggy's question first, leaving Waluigi to simply standby and watch the three girls flock around her. Moe noticed this, and asked him a question that had come to his mind awhile back now.

"So, buddy. What're you gonna do now?"

"I don't know." Waluigi heaved a sigh, shaking his head slightly as he observed. "But whatever it is, I have a feeling that it will cause this whole ordeal to take an entirely different turn. And, knowing my luck, it'll be for the worse."

**-------------------**

**( _Chilly Shivers Ice Cave _)**

"You know, it's a really bad sign when even a _boo_ can't help shivering." Wario muttered, sincerely wishing that they didn't have to be in the bone-chilling cold. He knew full well that they'd have to stand the unbearably cold temperatures even after they'd made it out of the ice caves, but that sure as heck didn't stop him from complaining. Even with all his … muscle, as he preferred to call it … he was shivering like mad! Not to the point of causing him to stutter, as it was for Mario and Luigi, but it still …

"E-even though it's a b-b-bit colder than we'd pr-prefer it to be, we need to keep on g-going. For the princess' s-sake, if nothing else." Mario reasoned, his gallant nature fueling his every stiff move.

"Uh-huh," Luigi gave a nod of agreement. "M-Mario's right, you know. W-we can't just l-l-let this Rahmet f-fellow have his w-way with the pr-princesses. A-and besides, we n-n-need to catch up w-with W-W-Waluigi." Wario rolled his eyes at this.

"We don't even know where that lunatic ran off to. And, even worse, he took Marvin with him, so we can't even just leave him behind!" He snapped irritably, something that all three of his traveling companions had grown accustomed to.

"We may not know yet, but I'm sure I'll be able to pick up a mental signal at some point soon." Boocifer chimed in, referring to his unique gift in telepathic communications and mind reading. Unlike the others, he was thoroughly enjoying this little romp through the frozen caves. He found the natural ice structures simply gorgeous – breathtaking, in fact. "Keh heh, Waluigi's train of thought is pretty distinctive, what with all the cynicism and pessimism in it. So, it really shouldn't be much of a problem to identify it."

On they trudged through the bitter cold, each step taken as carefully as could be. The ice proved to be – as expected – quite difficult to walk on without sliding across the smooth, slippery surface. From afar, small creatures that were native to Chilly Shivers Cave watched quietly, occasionally seeking a conversational murmur or two from their fellow wildlife. But for the most part, they just watched, unaccustomed to seeing strangers in their chilly home. However, as the time dwindled on, there was _one_ of the cavern's residents who was so bold as to meet these newcomers first hand. His purposes? Well, ok, so they weren't the _noblest_, but 'noble' had never been a key characteristics of Bandits, had it?

-----------------------------------------------------

Brock had camped out at the top of a high-up nook in the cave's frozen walls. It wasn't everyday that people passed through here, and so, he was – needless to say – fairly excited about this group. Word traveled fast among the ice cavern's inhabitants, and so, he'd been able to set up camp early. Now all he had to do was wait. Talk about easy money! _This_ was the sort of stuff he wished he got a chance at more often.

"But Brock!" If a spectator were to have witnessed this cry – done in a high-pitch, feigning voice – they would probably be slightly disturbed by the Bandit's habit of talking to himself in such a way. "The great and wonderful _Mario_ Brothers are in the group! What are you to do? Oooooh, noooo!" The Bandit let slip a gleeful snicker, delighted at his own devious mind. Taking a mock-noble stance, his voice shifted back to its normal level. "Don't worry, now, I've got a _plan!_" Brock skidded to the edge of the nook in the wall, leaning over the edge and peeking at the scene below. "Oh, I'm such a genius, I swear!"

The egotistical Bandit's self adoration was brought to a sudden end, as he heard a faint 'psssst!' from nearby. Scowling slightly, he looked up, then around. His eyes finally met with the source of the sound – a parakoopa, native to the ice caves. It was a she-parakoopa, and her sort had grown used to the bitter cold and had adapted to living without heat. Her wings were quite bat like, and her skin was a striking shade of light, piercing blue. And her eyes? Well, even they had grown harsher than the rest of her species. Her pupils were snake-like slits, dangerous and cold (no pun intended).

"What is it, Shiva?! Can't you see that I'm giving myself a hard-earned pat-on-the-back here?" Rolling her eyes, the she-parakoopa, apparently named Shiva, went on with her message. Her voice was almost a hiss.

"Two other strangers have entered the cave; a male and female of the human species. Well, we think. We know the female is. The male has long, pointed, elf-like ears. But we're pretty sure he's human." A wide grin made its way onto Brock's face.

"Eh? Is that so? Well then, toots, looks like its payday! You _will_ be helping me … right?" Shiva heaved a sigh, but went on to give a nod. "Good! That's what I thought! Alright, so here's the plan …"

--------------------------------------

"… and THAT'S why I thought that – hey, are you guys even listening?" Boocifer looked a little put-out upon noticing that he'd been blocked out by the rest of his traveling companions.

"Uh huh … yeah, that's really cool Boocifer …" Mario muttered under his breath. What had it been, two days since the whole affair at Dominata Plaza? And none of them had gotten any sleep whatsoever since then. Sure, Boocifer was fine, but it was really beginning to take its toll on the rest of them – aka, everybody in the group who _wasn't _a spiritual being and therefore needed rest to stay alive.

"Hey, guys, look at that!" This sudden exclamation from Luigi caused all of them to do as he had suggested, turning to look in the direction of his pointing finger. There, embedded in the walls of thick, thick ice were a variety of differently colored crystals.

"Wow, it's so pretty how they twinkle through the ice li-" Boocifer's childish enthusiasm was cut off by a greedy call from Wario.

"CRYSTALS! There must be a million … naw, a BILLION bucks worth in there!" This remark ended in a conniving chuckle, as Wario looked at the surplus of valuables within the massive wall of ice. Mario merely rolled his eyes at his rival's avarice.

"Mama Mia, is money all you ever think about?" Wario just gave the Italian plumber a blank stare, as if to say, 'What else is there to think about?'. However, before Mario could respond, a voice came from behind.

"Well, that tops the list of 'Stupidest Questions Ever Asked in the History of Forever'." The name which had come to the tip of their tongues at hearing this suddenly went back down them as something about the voice registered in their minds. The words which were spoken fit all the qualifications of something that Waluigi would say perfectly, but there was one slight problem with that idea: the voice was _female_. And it sounded like an attractive one at that.

"I think I'm having a bad affect on you …" Wario's jaw dropped. And so did Boocifer's. Heck, even Mario and Luigi did a double take. Was Waluigi … _smiling?_ Correction: smiling _without_ any hint of cynical pleasure or wily backing? And who the _heck_ was that hot chick with him?

"No, you're just bringing this side of me out. Finally, thank gawd – a guy I can act _natural_ around!" Something about this seemed strange to the four, as they watched the normally dark, sinister and altogether unpleasant man whom they'd known for who-knows-how-long now (save Boocifer) interact with this sarcastic, sly, witty female who appeared to be a theif.

What had given off this impression about the female was what she was wearing, and the fact that her jet black hair was done up in a thick, long braid which almost went all the way down to her knees. Her eyes – somehow, they sparked something in both Wario and Boocifer's minds, they somehow seemed familiar. But as for her attire? She was clad in a pair of knee-high black boots, a pair of jean shorts which were ripped off several inches about the knee, a black belt with a large, silver buckle, a black button-down shirt with the sleeves torn off, and a black choker with a small diamond charm in the shape of a crescent moon attached. She also had bandages wrapped around her arms, starting a little above the elbow and ending write at her knuckles, and a white ribbon tied at the base of her braid. Lastly, she carried what appeared to be a bow quiver on her back at first glance – but in reality was being used to carry what one would assume to be her main source of self defense – whatever _that_ was.

"What the heck happened after you made a run for it, toothpick boy?!" Wario demanded, being as obnoxiously blunt as ever. "And who's the chick?!" Waluigi rolled his eyes, giving Wario a fairly annoyed glare.

"It's good to be back." He drawled sarcastically. He then proceeded to answer his brother's questions. "In short, I made it to some pub on the outskirts of town, and I was ready to just hide out for awhile when I was attacked by our good ol' pal Freak Sheet at the place. After taking care of that twit, I emerged from the Arena cube to find out that this 'chick', as you insist on putting it, had escaped from Rahmet's clutches."

"… Soooo … she's part of this mess too, now?" Boocifer guessed, looking slightly confused.

"Flighty when it comes to gals, aren'tcha bro?" Wario said, grinning slightly. "And here I thought that you were still under that prissy little princess's charm. Well, good to see you got over THAT little fantasy real quick-like!" There was a hint of honest relief in Wario's voice as he spoke. Waluigi, however, gave a slightly amused sneer at this.

"I don't think that the 'prissy little princess' appreciates you calling her that very much. Am I right, Your Highness?" As he spoke, his dull gray eyes met with the female's gaze. And she gave a slightly annoyed – yet jokingly so – expression in response.

"Oh, come on, I told you to stop calling me that, Wally!" She smiled. But the rest of the group just stared. And stared. And stared some more. Taking notice of this, Waluigi continued his explanation.

"Anyway, listen up, because I'm not going to give you dopes another recap. So, it turns out that when she was hiding from two guards, she hid in one of the doors in the same corridor as the cell they were being kept in, and found out that there was a teleporter there, a teleporter that had been connected with all sorts of places – everywhere - without anybody else's knowledge."

"Mama Mia, Mario, that's like what the X-Nauts had installed to get from the Moon to Earth and back!" Luigi exclaimed, receiving a nod of confirmation from his brother. "B-but that was technology far beyond the level that our world has discovered and produced … P-Princess Darci, do you know how they could have possibly created this teleporter?" Luigi asked, growing even more worried than before. And for once in his entire life, Waluigi wasn't annoyed in the slightest with his rival's concern. Well, _that_ was scary.

"Well, I do have a hunch. But it's only after you mentioned these 'X-Nauts' that I made the connection … there was an 'X' like insignia of the side of the teleporter's main tube, the one that the user would step in and out of. Is it possible that the Count took the teleporter, and altered it to fit his needs? That's all I can think of as a possibility." She shook her head ever so slightly. "This guy is such a pain. He's too intelligent to predict what he would have done, and what he would have avoided; his methods are way too advanced."

"If only the hell-spawn had come from Wario, then he wouldn't be nearly as conniving …" Boocifer sad with a sigh. Had he not became intangible at just that moment, Wario's fist would have sent him flying instead of going straight through the oddly-tinted boo.

"I think I'm going to just take that as a compliment." Waluigi muttered under his breath. Darci gave him a sympathetic look, though only for a moment so as not to let the others catch it.

"Your Highness, I have a question." Mario injected.

"Please, don't call me that; Darci will work just fine." The princess responded, before adding, "And just go ahead and ask; jeeze, it's not like I'm some goddess or something." It was becoming clearer and clearer to the group that the Eclipso Kingdom's princess would have much rather been born into a family of commoners than nobility. Neither Mario nor Luigi was used to this attitude coming from a princess; with Peach and Daisy, they took their duty as heir to their kingdom's throne very seriously. But this girl? She seemed to want nothing to do with that connection, that tie to the crown.

"… Is Peach alright?" Mario asked, quickly being followed up by his brother.

"Yeah, and what about Daisy? I sure hope she hasn't done anything that's gotten her into trouble …"

Darci couldn't resist a smile. Those two hadn't been kidding about their beaus; they really did worry about them twenty-four-seven. It was sweet, really. "No need to worry; they were fine when I left. But there's no way of knowing what the Count's plotting, and that's why I plan to come with you guys –"

"Hooooold IT!" This sudden exclamation from Wario caused Darci to stop, look at him, and then glare.

"What?"

"There is _no_ way that we're going to baby sit some defenseless, prissy little damsel, no matter _how_ irresistibly gorgeous you may be!" Darci's eyes widened slightly as Wario spoke, resisting the urge to gag. Part of her was complimented. But most of her was repulsed. And Waluigi noticed this, and, taking pity on her, he gave his brother a sharp glare.

"Please, I know that it's hard for you, but could you possibly consider _thinking_ out your word choice before you speak? Just _maybe?_ And also, Darci is fully capable of taking care of herself. Trust me." This snide snarl from the lankier of the brothers caused the stouter to take the defensive.

"You two certainly got quite buddy-buddy over the past few days, haven't you? Honestly, toothpick boy, we've got the chick; let's take her back to her nice, rich father who just so happens to have a certain _reward_ for us? Remember? Don't TELL me you've gone soft on me all of a sudden!"

"Past few days? It's been two weeks, you moron! Learn to count! And it just so happens that there _are_ more important things in the world than money!"

---------------------------------------------------------------

While the yelling match below ignited and grew like a forest fire, Brock and Shiva observed from above, quite entertained by 'these silly humans and their petty disagreements'. Brock stifled a guffaw as he watched those pacifistic Mario Brothers trying to intervene, and the even more ridiculous little oddball-boo watch confusedly from the sidelines, unsure of which position to take on the matter. And that new chick? Well, he was still trying to decide whether or not she herself had realized how obvious her feelings for that tall freak of nature were. Talk about 'Beauty and the Beast'!

"Can we attack them yet, Brock?" Shiva asked, just itching to steal every single item of any value whatsoever from the group of quarreling travelers. Brock gave a cocky grin in response.

"Yeah, Shiva. I think now would be a _wonderful_ time to attack 'em."

**-------------------------**

**( _Somewhere far, far away …_ )**

A shriek rang out in the empty, spacious dungeon of the citadel; the gnashing of hungry teeth belonging to lethal and revolting beasts; and the steady and melodic moaning of the winds outside the citadel walls. Ahhhh, how the Count loved the sound of it all … the sound of others experiencing the sort of pain that he himself felt inside. It almost made him feel as giddy as a school girl!

"The captives have been taken downstairs, Boss, and are ready for you." Ugh. Other life forms. How annoying.

Count Rahmet's eyes flashed open, keen, slit like pupils focusing in on the speaker. It was Boomarius. Hadn't that stupid specter learned to knock yet? "Boomarius …" The edge that his voice had, oh, how it cut through all the nerves that his faithful servant had managed to gather up before calling upon his master. But Boomarius had learned to hide his fear – it was the least he could do to show his master his respect, his unfailing yearning to do as he wished.

"Yes, boss?"

"… Tell me something. Why did you feel the need to barge in on me like this?" The Count's words (combined with that accusing, impervious gaze of his) overwhelmed the boo, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"U-uh, I, um, well … I just th-thought you had told me to –"

"Told you to what?!" The Count snarled, his calm and passive mood dropping without any warning. "You dolt! I wanted you to bring those spoiled little brats _up to this room!_ How dumb can one possibly be?! I made it completely _clear_ to you what my intentions were, did I not?!" Boomarius hated this. He hated it, hated it, and hated it. Ever since the third princess had made a run for it – and actually _succeeded_ – he had been waiting for the Count to lose it. And now, the time had finally come; and he, his loyal servant, having devoted his entire being to serving his master, was to take the brunt of his anger.

"Y-yes, Boss, you made them clear."

"THEN GET THE POMPOUS LITTLE SNOBS ALREADY!"

The time between Boomarius's retrieval of the two princesses and the delivery was spent either choking down any guilty feelings he had for what he was assisting the Count do, or dealing with the princesses' resistance. Either way, it most certainly wasn't the most enjoyable thing for him to be doing. He could still hear his boss's words ringing in his ears, loud and clear, as he informed him of his intentions: 'You will bring them to me, and I will make them one of my kind.'

'B-but sir,' he had questioned, knowing full well what this meant. 'Surely you don't mean –'

'What else would I mean? It's vital for the ceremony; if I am to get what I want using the hidden power of the Eight Powers, I must make them one of my kind. And why would you care what I do with them, anyway?' Boomarius pushed these thoughts out of his head, not wanting to dwell on them. And as he neared the chamber door, he heard the voice of the feistier of the two princesses, now having lost its get-go.

"Please … please, at least tell us what your boss is going to do to us …" Daisy pleaded, honestly afraid for the first time in a long time. Boomarius gulped, hesitating for a moment. Then, at long last, he answered her.

"He's going to perfect you. Both of you."

**-------------------------------**

**Author's Note:** So ends chapter seven of 'Drastic Measures'! This one was quite a bit more serious than the others have been; so I apologize for that. Especially for the last scene …. I had originally rated this 'T' just in case a creepy scene like that would arise, and I guess it happened after all. Anyway, comments are – as usual – highly appreciated, and I love them veeeeery much! Honest feedback is loved as well. Well, for now, adieu! Oh, wait, one last note …. A billion thanks to my faithful readers out there! You guys rock hardcore!!!


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